


Holiday Hijinks and Christmas Confessions

by ArtistFox



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Humor, It's nothing but a fuzzy Christmas story, M/M, Misunderstandings because Keith and Lance can be denser than a tree stump, Nobody gets flung into a space war and everyone is happy, a bit of angst? i guess, the Lions as housecats, ‘seducing’ as in being so stupidly adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-15 20:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13038477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtistFox/pseuds/ArtistFox
Summary: Christmas was a mere three days away, and with it came the sickening-sweet romantic atmosphere that prompted confessions of love at every corner. Normally, this wouldn't pose a problem, but this year was slightly different. Lance McClain had fallen completely and utterly in love with his best friend, Keith, and it was growing increasingly more difficult to keep it a secret. However, when Lance overhears his best friend's plan to confess to someone else at their university's Christmas Eve party, he's forced to act. Lance only has 68 hours before he loses Keith forever, so he'll have to use the spirit of Christmas to seduce Keith away from confessing to someone else.It's going to be one hell of a bumpy sleigh-ride.





	1. Day 0: Keeping it Under (Gift) Wraps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! It's that time of year to snuggle up with some cozy Christmas fics and drink hot chocolate until you explode! I am a huge fan of Christmas, it's my favorite holiday, so I couldn't resist writing this! This fic is purely an AU, and a lot of the characters aren't going to behave like they do in cannon. I'm a sucker for fluff, so that's what you're going to get! (Disclaimer, I don't own anything, don't get me arrested.) Anyway, enjoy this fic, and Merry Christmas!!!

* * *

 

Lance hated Keith Kogane with a passion that burned hotter than a thousand suns.

Ok, maybe that was the most horrendous lie he’s ever told, but that still didn’t change the fact that Keith drove Lance crazy. In more ways than one. It started when they, literally, ran into each other during freshman year of high school. Lance had been minding his own business- going through his flag work during a run-through in band practice- when an idiot flute player stepped into his space.

Well, it wasn’t _Lance’s_ fault that he practically side-checked the guy, no matter what the flute yelled at him afterwards. Lance could remember it clearly even to this day. The guy’s flute make a shrill squeal, like a pig being trotted on, as their bodies collided. They stumbled, and nearly fell over. Once they got their balance under control, Lance turned to apologize, only to have a heated glare sent his way.

“Watch where you’re going!” The guy had the audacity to hiss. Lance was taken back, and immediately replied with his own sneer.

“Me? Newsflash, buddy, your dot is like five yard lines from here!”

The flute scowled and held up his drill sheet.

“What? No it’s not! I’m a hash inside the forty! _You’re_ in _my_ spot!”

“Check again, _bitch_.”

Needless to say, after several minutes of verbal jousting, they ended up getting yelled at by a student leader for disrupting practice. The real kicker was that, in the end, the flute player was right, and Lance should’ve been further to his left. When the flute had given him a smug smirk at this, Lance vowed that they would be enemies till their dying day.

However, things didn’t exactly play out how Lance expected them to. As it turned out, it’s hard to avoid someone who you’re forced to see practically every day for several months. In the time between the start of the marching season and the end, Lance had learned exactly two things about his rival.

One: the flute player was named Keith Kogane. And two: he was actually a pretty decent guy. Lance was able to figure this out because, for some bizarre reason, Keith had decided to make it his personal mission to sit with Lance _every single_ lunch period, despite Lance’s threats of disembowelment if he did so.

At first, it was unbearable since it was just the two of them, but they had to continue with the suffering. They were freshmen at the time, so they had a limited number of friends to sit with. As the year went on, they were joined by a marimba player named Hunk, and a tiny girl named Katie, who worked with the sound tech, so lunch time became a bit more tolerable.

Lance didn’t fully trust Keith though, at least not until a particularly cold marching competition, when Keith sat in the stands and offered to share his jacket with a shivering Lance. As they huddled together for warmth, Keith almost shyly apologized for being so rude to Lance when they first met. At the time, he had been having a really rough day, and by the time he ran into a lone Color Guard member standing in his spot, he was in a pretty foul mood. It wasn't justified behavior and he regretted snapping, Keith had admitted, with cheeks red from something other than the cold.

As Keith quietly apologized, Lance discovered that, in his own mind, he had already forgiven him months ago.

After that, their friendship steadily grew. But that didn’t give Keith a complete pass. He was still occasionally an ass, and Lance found himself in many a petty argument with him. Their relationship was strange, but he soon realized that it was comfortable. They also grew closer with Hunk and Katie, who gained the popular nickname ‘Pidge’. The rest of high school was a roller coaster that they somehow managed to get through together. Their friendship circle grew in time, but the four never drifted away from each other, even when they had to attend different universities. Well, sans Lance and Keith; they had the unfortunate luck of getting stuck together for another four years in the same university, much to the amusement of their friends.

At the beginning of their college career, Lance and Keith decided not to fix what wasn’t broke, and roomed together in the dorms, which in turn lead them to spend the majority of their time together. Lance would never admit this out loud, but Keith had slowly become his best friend. It wasn’t just because the guy had a killer sense of humor under that moody exterior, or that he wasn’t afraid to go on an adventure, no matter how crazy it was.  

No, what really drew him to Keith was how he never felt miserable around him. There was always something they could talk about, something they could laugh over, or even just sit in comfortable silence after a long day. On the darker days, they became each other's support. Whenever Keith had a shitty day and was overwhelmed with the advanced classes he was taking, Lance would be there to sit with him on the couch, helping him unwind via dinner, a movie, or even the rare massage. When Lance was curled up in bed with homesickness, Keith would sit with him, and listen to Lance ramble about his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and then he would help set up a Skype call that would give Lance the chance to catch up with his family that lived all those miles away.

In the end, it wasn’t that much of a surprise when Lance agreed to share a small apartment with Keith during their junior year at the university.

Their daily life now was…. peacefully domestic. They’d wake up roughly around the same time, wait for each other to shower, and then eat a ‘nutritious’ meal of sugar-blasted cereal before walking to class together. Then, after the strenuous day of classes, they come back home to their tiny apartment, finish up any chores that need to be done, and crash on the couch for a few hours before eating dinner.

Lance usually insist on cooking an actual meal for dinner, but will occasionally say ‘fuck it’ and order takeout. Finally, at the end of the day, they say goodnight and head off to their respective rooms for some much-needed sleep before starting the whole thing over again. It was a pretty systematic life, but Lance wouldn’t trade it for anything.

However, there was one, teeny tiny thing amongst this monotonous life that’s probably noteworthy.

Lance had fallen completely and utterly in love with Keith Kogane.

He didn’t know exactly when it started, for it wasn’t some grand realization with fireworks and hearts blazing. Lance just looked over at Keith one day, saw him with his bedhead and ratty sweatshirt and shorts while pouring himself a bucket of coffee, and thought, ‘Wow, I really love him.’ Simple as that. It was as if Lance has been loving him his entire life. It was one of the many truths of the universe: birds fly, grass grows, and Lance loves Keith.

The thing that wasn’t so simple was actually expressing these feelings. It was clear that Keith didn’t think of him as anything more than a friend, and Lance didn’t want to upset the balance they had going. So the easiest thing for Lance to do was pretend that he _wasn’t_ in love with his best friend. He had to force himself not to think too deeply about Keith’s actions toward him. Those nightly cuddle sessions on the couch? Strictly platonic. The moments when their hands brush against each other while walking to class? A mere accident. That time when Keith got so drunk that he wouldn’t let go of Lance's waist for a solid five hours? Well, he was drunk, so he obviously wasn’t thinking straight- pun intended.

It was fine. Everything was fine. It wasn’t as if Lance felt like his heart was being ripped out, incinerated, and put back in his chest when Keith went on a date with someone else. It wasn’t as if it was akin to torture when Keith let Lance lean on him during movie nights. Lance was completely fine with everything. He could go on like this until, well, until his stupid heart got the memo and stopped pining after his best friend.

He probably would’ve gone on longer in this manner, if it weren’t for the Christmas season arriving. Christmas: with all its lights, festivities, food, and of course, sickening sweet romance at every corner. But Lance wasn’t worried; he was strong willed, and he wouldn’t let the cozy atmosphere of the holiday weaken him into confessing. Or, at least, that’s what he told himself.

There were four days until Christmas, and Lance was currently pinning a garland of paper snowflakes to their walls. He hummed along with the cheery Christmas music that streamed through the television’s speakers. It had been a very good day: his workday at the nearby dance studio went by like a breeze, he was able to Skype his sister and see his new baby niece, and there was a light flurry of snow falling down from the grey clouds that blanketed the earth.

Lance twirled in time with the music, and plucked another thumbtack from the table. He sang softly and pinned another paper snowflake to the wall. Finished, he took a step back and smiled proudly at his work. If someone walked into the apartment right now, they’d think they were stepping into a winter wonderland. Paper snowflakes, holly garland, and lights lined the walls and doorways, fake snow and a nativity scene sat on the mantel above the television, their medium-sized Christmas tree sat twinkling in the corner with its lights plugged in, and every table had some sort of festive cloth and decoration on it. Lance had also managed to find some holiday pillows for a cheap price, and immediately put them on their couch, giving an extra festive flair to the living room.

“Jingle Bell Rock” suddenly drifted through the room, and Lance couldn’t resist the urge to dance. He hummed and twirled around on the balls of his feet. His hips wiggled as he strutted around, and he pumped his fists into the air and sang loudly with the song. His socks slid over the carpet, making it easier to throw in extra spins.

A soft meow sounded from the side of the room, and Lance paused to look over. His cat was sitting on the couch, watching him with curious eyes. Lance grinned and scooped her up.

“Aw, did my baby Blue want to dance with me?” He cooed, and she meowed once again, nuzzling his neck and purring loudly. He kissed her between her fuzzy ears and gently bounced her as he swayed with the music. He was preoccupied, so he didn’t notice when the door opened and a person shuffled into the apartment.

As the song came to an end, Lance gave a majestic twirl, and immediately came face to face with his roommate. Lance let out a yelp and jumped back, his hand flying to his chest as his heart hammered with surprise. Blue leapt out of his arms and hopped onto the couch to curl up on the pillows, leaving her human to suffer through his mini heart-attack.

Keith laughed and shrugged off his coat.

“Hey, I’m home.” He said, grinning widely as Lance glared at him.

“Yeah, I can see that, you jerk. God Keith, you scared the shit out of me!”

Keith merely laughed again and went over to the closet to hang up his coat and kick off his shoes. He then walked over to the couch and plopped next to Blue, giving a long whistle as he looked around the room.

“You’ve certainly been busy. I hardly even recognize this place.” He commented as he eyed a particularly intricate paper snowflake. Lance slumped next to him and reached over to scratch his cat’s ears.

“I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.” He said, trying to sound irritated. Keith rolled his eyes.

“It’s a compliment, idiot. Really Lance, it looks amazing!” Keith then gave him a proud smile, and Lance couldn’t stop the giddy grin from appearing in his face, his cheeks reddening from the praise.

“Heh, thanks man. How’s your day? You look pretty tired.”

Keith sighed heavily and let his head fall onto the back of the couch.

“Ugh. The Christmas crowds still haven’t gone down yet. There's always one whining mom, or some idiot teenager yammering at me at the same time I'm trying to organize the clothes on the racks or the shoes back on the correct selves. People just throw the merchandise all over the store, so it's  _my_ job to push my way through the people and prevent them from stepping on anything.”

He rubbed his temples, apparently still aggravated by the memories. “And this one lady. God, she was so obnoxious! Her kid kept on screaming, and she did nothing to shut him up! She kept on stalking me throughout the store, either trying to cheat her way into lower prices, or ask the _stupidest_ of questions!”

He exhaled loudly, and slumped down further into the couch. Lance stared at him sympathetically, thought for a moment, and ruffled Keith’s hair before standing up.

“That’s really rough dude, I’m sorry you have to deal with that shit. But at least I have something that’ll cheer you up!”

Keith raised an eyebrow and watched with a quizzical eye as Lance trotted to the kitchen. Lance grabbed something from the cupboard, hid it behind his back, and walked back to the couch. He grinned. “You ready?”

Keith gave a curious nod. Lance pulled the package from behind his back with a flourish.

“Ta dah~!” He sang. Keith’s eyes widened and he quickly grabbed the package.

“Fuck yeah!” He exclaimed softly. “Oreos!”

Lance tapped the package.

“And they’re the mint flavored ones.”

Keith eagerly ripped open the package and stuffed a cookie in his mouth.

“God I love you.” He mumbled through a mouthful of cookie while meeting Lance’s eye. Lance’s heart pinged with pain, before fading away to an ache. Keith didn’t notice how his roommate stiffened, and was busy chewing on another cookie. Lance quickly let out a slightly-forced laugh.

“Good to know that your affections can be bought, Mullet.” As nonchalantly as possible, Lance strode over to the kitchen once again. “So!” He said with a bit more gusto than necessary. “Since I got home early today, I took the liberty of making chili for dinner!” He waved his hand in the direction of the slow-cooker sitting on the counter. Keith walked over and gently took off the lid before sniffing at the bubbling substance inside.

“Smells good.” He plainly stated. Lance grinned proudly as he rummaged through the fridge.

“Of course it’s good, I made it!” He then pulled out two cans of soda and threw one to Keith. He caught it easily with one hand before popping the lid and taking a swig of it.

“Thanks. I’m going to get changed- be right out.”

Lance nodded but didn’t glance up from stirring the chili. Keith disappeared, and Lance looked down at his own clothes. He thought for a moment, and then put the spoon down and headed toward his room. If they were going to have a cozy night in, Lance wanted to wear something soft and fluffy to help set the mood.

He closed the door to his room, and he quickly threw on a large, dark blue sweater whose arms went past his fingers. He decided to leave his leggings on, and pulled on a pair of fuzzy blue socks. He was in the middle of combing through his hair when he heard a rustling noise coming from the side of his bed. Lance paused.

It…it wasn’t a rat, right? They’ve never had a rat before, and it’s not like the little critter would be attracted to food crumbs or anything in the apartment. The two of them tried hard to keep their home spotless. The rustling sounded again, so he slowly crept onto the mattress and peered over.

Yellow eyes stared back at him, and Lance sighed.

“Red, what are you doing in here?”

A large orange cat was laying amongst crumpled papers from a waste basket that had been tilted over. The cat meowed, trying to appear innocent, and Lance sighed again. He slid off the bed and lifted up Keith’s cat. He then straightened the wastebasket and cleaned up the papers until everything was once again tidy.

“You know how I feel about you getting into my trash, little lady.” He chided Red as he stepped out of the room. The cat purred and rubbed her head against his shoulder. “Oh no, you aren’t getting out of trouble that easily.” Lance shook his head. Red purred again, and licked his cheek. Lance crumbled like a day-old Christmas cookie. “Alright, I forgive you. But just this once! The next time though…” He let his warning taper off.

He got to the kitchen, and let Red down. The cat immediately bounded towards Keith, who was now wearing a large red sweater of his own and currently placing silverware on the table. Keith looked at his cat, and then to Lance.

“She in your room again?” He asked. Lance nodded and padded towards the slow-cooker.

“Yeah. I don’t get it, you have a bucket of old papers in your room, but for some reason she’s dedicated to sneaking into mine and messing everything up.” He eyed Red, who began grooming herself, pretending that she didn’t see his stern look. Keith shrugged and poured their sodas into two glass cups.

“Maybe she just likes the smell?” He suggested, and Lance rubbed his chin.

“I think it's Blue's scent she's attracted to. I mean, they’re in love after all.”

Lance had this theory that Red and Blue were a cat couple. He’d set up several cat dates for them, and has even been talking to Keith about a cat wedding, but Mullet was never very helpful. He always argued that cat dates weren’t even a thing, or that it would be pointless to throw a wedding for them. That was the one and only area where Lance completely disagreed with Keith on, and will forever refuse to cooperate over.

Keith scoffed quietly at him as he took a seat at the table.

“Whatever you say man.” He drawled, and Lance pouted with annoyance.

“One day, you’ll learn to take our childrens’ love seriously.” He set a bowl of chili in front of Keith with a bit more force than necessary. Keith simply wiped a spec of sauce from the table instead of dignifying Lance’s words with a response.

Lance gave his roommate a look and sat down with his own bowl of chili. Soon, the disagreement about their cats’ love lives faded, and they fell into their normal dinnertime conversation. Keith went into more detail about his day, and Lance spoke about his. Then, Lance remembered something.

“By the way, a package came for you today. I put it in your room.” He said while crumbling a cracker into his chili. Keith nodded.

“Cool. I’ve been waiting for that thing for a few days. It’s a pair of headphones for Shiro.”

“Ah. But it might be a bit too late to mail them now if you want him to get them in time for Christmas…” Lance frowned as he said this, but Keith shook his head.

“I’m not mailing them. I’ll be seeing him soon, so I’ll be able to give them to him in person.”

Lance stiffened at these words.

“Oh…” he began, trying to hide his growing unease, “you haven’t told me that you’ll be spending Christmas with him this year…”

Keith’s older brother, Shiro, lived in the next state over, so the two had to travel several hours to visit each other. That meant, if Keith was going to spend the holidays with Shiro this year, Lance would be all alone. He couldn’t go home to visit his own family, it was too expensive to fly to Cuba right now, and Hunk and Pidge were already planning on spending the holiday with their respective significant others.

He, Hunk and Pidge would still be having their usual Christmas party though, it would just be in the late evening, and without Keith, which meant that Lance would have to spend the majority of his time during the holiday alone.

All alone. On Christmas. With only Skype and his cats to comfort him. Suddenly, Lance wasn’t feeling so holly jolly anymore.

But…if Keith wanted to spend the holiday with his family, he had no right to stop him. Lance mentally sighed, already creating a schedule of how he was going to spend the next few days. He’ll go the university’s Christmas Eve party alone, and then go home and eat cold cookies with Blue and Red, maybe even watch a few Christmas specials. Then, on Christmas Day, he’ll wake up as late as he wants, and then spend the rest of the day sitting around and Skyping his family before having a short few hours of comfort in his friends’ company, before returning back to his cold, dark, empty home. All the while having the sinking feeling of loneliness weighing him down.

All of his fears, however, were short-lived. Keith looked at him and shook his head.

“Huh? No, I’m not going anywhere this year. Shiro’s visiting us. He’s going to be at the party on Christmas Day.” He reached up and poked the side of Lance’s head. “Besides, even if I was visiting him, I’d drag you along with me. I’ll never just _ditch_ you, so stop pouting, alright?”

Immense relief washed over Lance, making him feel ten times lighter than how he was feeling a second ago. He lightly shoved Keith’s shoulder.

“I’m not pouting, jerk!” He laughed. “I was just wondering how I was going to burn off the extra calories from all the Christmas cookies I would bake.” He waved his hand to motion at the several empty cookie jars that were sitting on the counter tops.

“But it’s a bummer though, this means I have to spend Christmas with _you_.” Lance teased, but his stupid smile probably gave away how happy he was. Keith rolled his eyes and gave him a dismissive wave, while having a large smile of his own.

“Well too bad, you’re stuck with me.”

Lance picked up his empty bowl and stuck his tongue out at Keith. Keith returned the childish gesture and followed Lance into the kitchen with his own bowl. They had just finished putting the dishes in soapy water when Keith’s cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID.

“It’s Shiro; mind if I take this?” He turned to ask. Lance used the dishrag he was holding to playfully whack Keith’s arm.

“Oh I see how it is! You found an excuse to skip out of doing the dishes _again_!” Lance smirked, and Keith yanked the rag out of his hand and used it to hit Lance on the shoulder.

“I’m not making excuses for anything! It’s just, I’ve been waiting for Shiro to call all day and-”

Lance waved him off with the rag he stole back.

“Yeah yeah, don’t worry about it. I got this. Just remember that you’re on dish washing duty tomorrow!”

Keith smiled gratefully.

“Thanks, I’ll be in my room if you need me.” He then pressed the answer button and held his cell up to his ear. “Shiro, hey, what’s up?” He turned around to exit the kitchen, and Lance saw his opening.

Grinning like a mischievous cat, he rolled up the dishrag and held it taut. Then, with a flick of the wrist, he smacked it directly across Keith’s butt. At the impact, Keith let out an undignified yelp and leapt into the air. He whirled around with an affronted scowl on his scarlet face.

“Lance what the _fuck_?!”

Lance cackled madly and danced out of the way of Keith’s attempts to hit him.

“Keith? What’s the matter?” Shiro’s question drifted faintly from the phone in Keith’s fist. Keith gave a final glare at Lance before holding his phone back to his ear.

“It’s nothing, Lance is just being an ass.”

Shiro must have said something embarrassing in response, because the blush on Keith’s face deepened.

“ _Shiro_!” He hissed, sending a quick glance Lance’s way and scurrying out of the kitchen. Lance watched him practically run to his room, and heard the door shut. He chuckled to himself and turned back to the task at hand.

* * *

 

He had finished the dishes thirty minutes ago, and Keith was still on the phone. Lance poured cat food into the tiny dishes and stepped aside so Red and Blue could eat. He then finished putting everything up in the kitchen, and then walked to his own room. He glanced at his phone, and decided that it wasn’t too late to take a quick shower. After gathering up some clothes to sleep in, he made his way down the hallway to the bathroom.

He passed by Keith’s room, paused, and immediately back tracked when the sounds of an interesting conversation drifted through Keith’s door. He felt a split second of guilt for eavesdropping, but it immediately left him when he heard the next words.

“I…I don’t know. It’s kind of stupid, not to mention cliché. Confessing on Christmas Eve?”

Lance’s heart leapt to his throat; out of nervousness or excitement he couldn’t tell.

“Don’t tell me that. I know. It’s just hard alright? I’ve never done this before… " he paused, "...those times don’t count. I actually _care_ this time!” Keith continued, sounding more and more annoyed, and then he paused again, letting Shiro speak for a minute. Keith rolled his eyes. “…That’s just rich, coming from the person who hadn’t told Matt they’ve been pining after him for years until they got so drunk that they blurt it out in front of hundreds of people.”

Another pause, and Lance could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

“God, can’t I explain this to you without sounding like a total idiot? I’m going to spill my fucking heart out at my class’s Christmas Eve party; stooping to the level of cheesy Christmas rom-coms that make me want to barf..…Why? Because! I can’t think of a better idea, and it’s probably the best way to get a positive answer after I skirted around the fuckin' issue for the last year!”

Lance didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know how to react. He wasn’t so sure he even knew how to breathe. Keith…was in love with somebody else. He has been, for a year, and Lance didn’t even notice! Keith’s conversation quieted, and it became hard to make out the words. In fear of being caught listening, Lance crept away to the bathroom. He shut the door heavily and locked it. Then, he began to mechanically undress and turn on the shower. His thoughts didn’t catch up with him until he was standing underneath a stream of burning water.

…Lance never had a chance. He was stupid to think that he had a chance. Of course Keith had feelings for someone else- why wouldn’t he? There were thousands of people at their university, and Keith was probably one of the most eligible guys on campus.

Who was it though? Keith never showed any interest in girls before. Then again, he’s never showed any interest in _anyone_ before. He’s dated, but he’s always told Lance that it was more about being too nice to turn the girls down than anything.

This made Lance’s chest compress a bit tighter. This meant that whoever Keith had in mind was probably really amazing. They were probably pretty, smart, the whole shebang, and once Keith confesses, they’ll probably spend all their time with him.

Lance's traitorous mind displayed horrific images: Keith living with someone else, Keith going on crazy adventures with someone else, Keith letting someone else lean on his stupidly handsome chest as they watch Disney movies while binge eating ice-cream, Keith holding someone else’s hand while sneaking a quick kiss on their cheek while strolling down a romantically lit street. Keith doing everything that Lance wanted to do with him with someone else.

Lance gave a pathetic whine and let his head hit the tile on the wall. His chest hurt, like, almost physically hurt. Maybe he was selfish. Selfish for wanting to be the most important person in Keith’s life, and that’s why they weren’t destined to be together…

The water grew cold by the time Lance got out. He solemnly dried himself off and pulled on a pair of Christmas tree boxers and a fluffy reindeer sweater. He looked in the mirror, and thought that the cheery clothing was the worst possible match for his mood. Lance let out a long sigh, and began his nightly skin care routine.

Several minutes later, with a clean face and freshly brushed teeth, Lance stepped out of the bathroom. Keith’s bedroom door was open, signaling that he was done with his call. Lance paused for a moment and simply gazed into the room. Keith’s bedsheets were strewn all over his mattress, as usual, and a pile of dirty clothes lay in the corner. The wall was covered with random posters of varying themes, and several nick-knacks sat on the bookshelf and desk. What really caught his eye was a small stuffed hippo that sat neatly on the pillow at the head of the bed. It’s stitching was haphazard, and one eye was lower than the other, but other than that, it was in good condition. Against his will, Lance felt a small smile appear.

He remembered when, several years ago, he slaved all night sewing that thing. He also remembered calling mama up in a panic to ask her how to sew about a week before Keith’s fifteenth birthday. He finally managed to finish it by the time the sun was coming up, but it resulted in him falling asleep in all his classes during the day. It was worth it though, to see Keith’s face light up. He felt proud, to make something that Keith loved so much.

Lance’s smile died, and he let out another sigh.

He didn’t want Keith to leave. He’s been by his side for so long, that, as cheesy as it sounded, life was impossible to imagine without him.

Blue meowed at him as he entered the living room. He bent down and gave her a quick pat, and looked up. Keith was holding a big bowl of popcorn while curled up with a blanket on the couch. He was scrolling lazily through the channels on TV, before stopping on a ghost hunting show.

His hair was sticking up and was in dire need of a brush, and he was shoving handfuls of popcorn into his mouth. His cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk as he chewed, his eyes were glued to the video of a group of grown men yelling for ghosts in an abandoned school. The window behind him revealed the snow flurries drifting down, a stark contrast to the inky black of the night. Keith snorted at something the men on the show said, and nearly coughed up a mouthful of popcorn.

Keith was amazing, and Lance refused to let him go. Burning with determination, he straightened himself. If another person thinks they could steal Keith away without any trouble, they had another thing coming. Lance knew he himself wouldn’t be brave enough to come out and confess to Keith right away, so he’ll have to use these last remaining days to build up Keith’s affection for him, and his own confidence, before he gives a confession of his own. He has sixty eight hours until the party on Christmas Eve, and before then, he’ll have to seduce Keith the only way he knows how. By using the spirit of Christmas.

But for now, he could start by sitting next to him. Confidently, he strode over to Keith and slumped next to him.

“So, how was the talk with Shiro?” He asked as nonchalantly as possible. Perhaps he was just hyper aware of Keith’s actions now, but Keith seemed to stiffen.

“Fine.” He replied shortly. “Shiro says hi, and he’s still planning on coming to our party with Hunk and Pidge on Christmas day.”

Lance nodded.

“Cool, cool.” He answered. They fell into silence, and the sounds of the ghost hunters on the screen filled the room. Lance gathered up the spec of courage he had, and as subtly as possible, he scooted closer to Keith. Sure, they occasionally curled up next to each other during movie nights, but this was slightly different, considering that Lance was nearly on Keith’s lap. 

To Lance’s everlasting surprise, Keith didn’t move away. He adjusted his grip on the popcorn and then pulled the side of his blanket out from under Lance. He wrapped his arm and blanket around Lance’s shoulders, forcing Lance to scoot even closer, with his side and hips pressed firmly against Keith’s. He could feel the rise and fall of Keith’s chest with every breath he took.

Lance wet his lips, and kept his eyes set on the TV in efforts to prevent things from becoming awkward. After a few minutes, his muscles relaxed, and he snuggled into Keith’s warmth. He reached over and snitched some popcorn from Keith’s bowl. Keith made a noise of disapproval, but after the fifth time, he relented and moved the bowl closer to Lance.

Lance grinned as he munched popcorn next to Keith. The blanket and their shared body warmth chased away any remnants of cold in the apartment. As Keith’s head gently rested against his, Lance thought that it would be ok if he was selfish for a bit longer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, this story is silly, ridiculous, and oozes with cheese. Prepare your selves! In all seriousness, this story's purpose is to enjoy, and I really hope it can bring some joy to the readers! I'll try to update as soon as possible, so until then, bear with me! My thanks to all my readers, and I hope to see you soon! Review, or not, it's your choice! Later friends, and let Christmas beginnnnnn~!!!!


	2. Day 1: Pancakes and Ice Skating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello! It's me again! Back at it again with another chapter! I just discovered my best writing happens in the middle of night, so I stayed up until three in the morning writing this! This was really fun, and I made myself happy while writing it, so score! Welp, better let you go read it then. Also, I don't own any of the songs or characters, please don't report me. I'm just a humble girl with a humble purpose of writing Christmas fanfiction. Enjoy!!!

* * *

 

The minute the alarm on Lance’s phone went off, his eyes snapped open and he quickly silenced it. It was seven in the morning; an ungodly hour, but it was time to put his plan into action. Lance slipped out of his bed; out of his warm covers and into the cold air of his room. Blue leapt off the mattress and stretched before grooming herself, following in her human’s footsteps in wanting to look presentable for the day. Lance gave her a quick pat, and then quickly pulled on thick socks to keep his toes from freezing. He routinely made his bed and stared longingly at the still-warm covers before tip-toeing out of his room with Blue at his heels. He peeked down the hallway to make sure Keith was still asleep before heading towards the kitchen. He poured cat food into the cats’ bowls to prevent Blue from yowling for breakfast, and then got to work.

After living up until his mid-teens with an immediate family of ten, Lance had developed the skill of being almost completely silent when cooking in the kitchen. Especially when he didn’t want the other members of the house hearing what he was doing. Lance tied an apron around his front to prevent getting his favorite festive pajamas messy. He then gently took out the bowls he needed from the cupboards and then delicately rummaged through the fridge and pantry to find the ingredients he would need. Lance wanted to turn on some Christmas music while he cooked, but he didn’t dare in fear of waking up Keith. So instead he hummed quietly to himself while he poured pancake mix into a bowl. Then, after adding eggs, oil, milk, and green food coloring, he mixed the batter while swaying in time with the song in his head.

A frying pan was placed on top of the stove, and a small flame flickered underneath it. Lance drizzled a bit of batter into the pan in the shape of a Christmas tree, and then filled in the lines with more batter. While the batter slowly heated up and bubbled, Lance cracked some eggs into a bowl and mixed them while adding milk. He poured this mix into a pan next to the other and then turned to the pancake. He flipped it expertly with a spatula. The front was a bit burnt, but the next one would be better, he thought.

And it was. He then began a third pancake, and by this time, the scrambled eggs were done. He poured them into a bowl, and put them in the oven. He turned on the oven’s heat as low as it would go in order to keep the food inside warm. A package of bacon was opened, and they were soon sizzling next to the pancakes.

The smell of pancakes and bacon drifted through the kitchen, and Lance briefly wondered if it would wake up Keith. Hopefully not, he wasn’t ready yet. With this in mind, Lance hurried through the rest of the pancake batter, and poured the brown bacon pieces onto their own plate. He put the bacon next to the eggs in the oven, and then flipped the final pancake. Finally, he put the plate full of fluffy Christmas tree pancakes in the oven as well, and turned off the stove.

All the dirty dishes used for cooking went into the sink and were soaked in hot water. Lance then went over to the cupboard and grabbed the Santa and reindeer plates he got yesterday and arranged them on the kitchen table. He put them on festive place mats, and added the glass cups and silverware. He looked around at his work for a second, before grabbing the TV remote and turning on Christmas music at a low volume. Now it was time to wake up his Sleeping Beauty.

Lance tip-toed down the hallway and gently opened Keith’s door. There was a big lump under the bed’s covers, and it was rising and falling slowly with deep breaths. Grinning, Lance snuck over; the mattress springs creaked as he crawled onto the side of the bed. He poked the lump where Keith’s side should be.

“Hey.” Lance whispered, and poked again. “Hey. Wake up.” The lump groaned sleepily, and wrapped the covers tighter around him.

“…No…” Was Keith’s slow, muffled reply. Lance snickered.

“Yes.” He insisted and poked harder. “I have a surprise!” Tuffs of black hair could be seen above the covers as Keith shook his head.

“Don’t care.” Keith mumbled and tried to kick Lance away. “Lemme’ sleep.”

Lance shook his shoulder.

“Come on, Keefy-weefy!” He cooed in a baby voice. “Get up! It’ll be worth your while~!” Keith shook his head again, and Lance huffed. “Fine, if you want to do this the hard way, we’ll do it the hard way!” Lance lifted up his hands and wiggled his fingers before attacking.

Keith exploded in giggles as Lance ferociously tickled his sides.

“H-Hey! S-Stop it!” He laughed and tried to squirm away, but Lance didn’t relent. Keith struggled and kicked his legs, which resulted in him accidentally kicking off his beloved bed sheets. “Lance seriously! Stooop!” He flopped onto his back to try to retaliate, but it was a mistake. Lance pounced on his tummy and tickled without mercy. Lance laughed with him, and Keith tried to yank Lance’s hands away. “Y-You ass!” Keith laughed and slapped his hands against Lance’s arms.

“You wouldn’t wake up, so I had to take drastic measures!” Lance cackled maniacally. Keith suddenly smirked. He wrapped his legs around Lance’s waist and flipped them around before Lance could do anything. Lance’s back landed heavily on the mattress, and Keith took his revenge. He knew exactly where Lance was the most ticklish, so he exploited this knowledge to the best of his ability. His fingers tickled the sensitive spot at the side of Lance’s lower ribs, and he got the response he wanted.

Lance wriggled to get away while giggling helplessly. He struggled to get up, but Keith was sitting on his waist, making all his efforts futile.

“Noooo!” He tried to whine through his laughter. “That’s not fair!” It was Keith’s turn to laugh.

“All’s fair in love and war!” He exclaimed, but Lance didn’t have time to figure out which one he was talking about in this situation before more laughter bubbled up. By the time Keith finally relented, Lance was red in the face and breathing heavy after several minutes of laughter. Keith chuckled as Lance shoved him off.

“Jerk.” Lance said with no real anger. He then grinned triumphantly and got off the bed. “But at least I accomplished what I wanted to! So take _that_!”

Keith yawned and scratched the back of his head as he checked the time.

“As fun as this was, it’s eight-thirty in the freakin’ morning. What’d you wake me up for?” He eyed the apron Lance was wearing, as if that would give him an answer. Lance winked at him and walked to the door.

“It’s a surprise! Come on, you’ll see~!”

Keith raised an eyebrow and pushed himself off the bed. Red meowed and followed him. She had leapt off the mattress and waited under the bed while the humans had their tickle-fight. Keith followed Lance curiously into the kitchen.

“All I Want For Christmas Is You” was playing as they walked in. Keith looked at the table with surprise.

“What’s this?” He asked. Lance didn’t reply, he merely guided Keith to the table and made him sit down. Keith looked at him with confusion, but complied. Lance quickly scurried around the counter and into the kitchen. He opened the oven and pulled out the eggs and bacon. Keith’s eyes lit up as Lance set the bowls down in front of him.

“Woah. Lance this is-” Lance shushed him.

“It’s not over yet! I have one more thing!” Lance hurried back to the counter and grabbed the ingredients he was looking for. As he added the decorations to the pancakes, Keith tried to look over or around the island countertop to see what Lance was doing. With a final flourish, the pancakes were done. Lance grinned proudly and walked to the table. Keith’s eyes grew two sizes as he looked at the tray set down in front of him.

The pancakes were garnished with whipped-cream, chocolate sauce, cherries, and colorful sprinkles to make them look like decorated Christmas trees. Keith was still gaping at them, even as Lance returned with the milk and maple syrup. Lance sat down, and when Keith didn’t move, he put a pancake on his friend’s plate.

“Eat up!” Lance declared, causing Keith to blink.

“Holy shit Lance.” He breathed. “This is amazing!” He prodded his pancake with his fork. “How on earth did you make these?” Lance shrugged and tried not to look too proud of himself.

“Oh, I just looked it up on the internet. It wasn’t so hard to do when you’re as talented as me!”

Lance had actually been practicing on his own time for a week, using YouTube tutorials and Hunk’s guidance. He nearly cried when he almost set the kitchen on fire several times during the first few attempts. He had finally gotten them right eventually, and had been waiting till Christmas morning to cook them for Keith. Plans had changed however, when last night happened. Now, making these pancakes were the first part of seducing Keith today.

Lance gave Keith the prettiest smile he could muster and rested his chin on his hand while batting his eyelashes subtly.

“I wanted to make something special for you today, because you’ve been working really hard lately, and I feel like you deserve something more than just a paycheck. I hope you like it!”  

There was a moment of awkward silence. Keith blinked, and gave him a look that Lance couldn’t decipher, making him nervous. Lance felt panic creeping up. Did Keith not like it? Was he weirded out by all of this? Was he laying it on too thick?

Keith’s face suddenly went pink, but it was probably a trick of the light. There were a lot of Christmas lights on in the room at the moment, after all. He was staring at Lance, before he quickly looked down at the pancake. He looked really happy, so Lance’s fears were soothed. Keith shook his head as he spoke, gazing down at the pancake in front of him.

“I wasn’t even expecting this...thank you so much. You’re beautiful- _I mean_ the pancakes are beautiful!” Keith stumbled over the last part of the sentence so much that Lance barely understood what he said. Something about the pancakes being pretty? Well, that was very flattering. Lance felt a small blush of pride appear on his face, and he chuckled.

“Thanks! I was really hoping you’d like it!”

Instead of answering, Keith suddenly shoved a piece of pancake into his mouth and chewed with a surprising amount of energy. He then slowed when he noticed the flavor. Keith swallowed, and then took another enthusiastic bite, slower this time.

“Holy shit these are good!” He mumbled through a mouthful of pancake. Lance once again felt the warm fuzzy feeling in his chest, like a big cozy blanket was being wrapped around his heart. He gave a short, quiet laugh, and then cut a piece of his own pancake. It was good, just as Keith said, and Lance made a mental note of making these again on Christmas morning.

Soon, the food was nothing but crumbs on their plates. Lance began picking up the dishes to put them in the sink, when Keith swept them from his hands.

“It’s my turn to do the dishes, remember.” He said, and he dumped the dishes in the sink before grabbing a sponge. Lance watched him turn on the water and begin scrubbing the plates. Lance grinned, and took the towel off of the oven’s handle. He plucked the clean dish from Keith’s hands and began to dry it. Keith gave him a look and tried to snatch the plate away from him. “You don’t need to help! I can handle it.” Lance shook his head and put the clean plate in its spot in the cupboard.

“I’m helping because I’m the one who made the mess. Next time though, you can do everything.” Keith sighed, and relented after a moment of hesitance.

“So,” Lance began once they got a system of washing and drying going. “I made a plan of what we should do today.” Keith scrubbed at a particularly stubborn spec on a bowl before answering.

“And what’s that?” He handed Lance the bowl, only for it to be handed right back when Lance deemed it unclean.

“Well, it’s almost Christmas, and we haven’t even been ice skating yet! So I thought we could head on down to North Center Park and try it.” Lance explained, and accepted the bowl back. He inspected it and then wiped it with the towel. “We haven’t had the chance to do Christmas stuff lately, with work and all. But now that we’re on break, it’s the perfect time!”

Keith shrugged and handed Lance the last plate.

“Sure, that sounds like fun.” He then glanced at the sink, which still had suds in it. “…We need to find a new dishwasher sometime.” He mumbled, and kicked their old dishwasher, which had given up and died several weeks back. Lance shut the cupboard with a click.

“Or we could ask Santa for one.”

Keith snorted at this.

“I already tried asking him. He told me to fuck off and buy it myself, the cheap bastard.” 

Lance shook his head mournfully.

“What a horrible time to be alive. To be denied by Santa Claus. We should do something, like undermine him.” He sighed. Keith chuckled and finished drying his hands.

“How are we going to do that? It’ll be pretty hard to break Santa’s system of elf enslavement.”

Lance looked around, as if to check if anyone was listening, and then threw his arm around Keith’s shoulders.

“I’ve been in contact with Jingles the Elf since last Christmas. We’ve been concocting a plan that will put an end to Santa’s dictatorship.” He stage-whispered. “Jingles can get us into the factory, and from there, we can sneak into Santa’s office, and gather evidence of his horrible deeds against elf-kind. From there, we’ll be able to present it to the police, and Santa will be put in his rightful place in jail.”

Laughing, Keith shook Lance’s hand.

“That sounds like a plan, Mr. McClain. Come Christmas, all the people of the world will know of the evils of Santa Claus.”

Lance let his arm drop and he finger-gunned.

“It’ll be a pleasure working with you, Mr. Kogane. For now though, we should go get changed. It’s cold, and I don’t really want to skate in pajama pants.”

Keith nodded, and the two disappeared into their respective rooms. Within a few minutes, they were ready to walk out the door. Lance zipped up his jacket and pat Blue and Red one last time before following Keith out the door and into the hallway. As they headed toward the exit of the apartment building, they ran into the old woman who lived a few doors down from them. The second the woman spotted them, she lit up into a smile and waved them over. She was in her usual spot by the window and was knitting the same scarf as last week. Lance returned her smile and quickly walked over to her.

“Afternoon Mrs. Jenkins! How’s the people-watching going?”

The woman laughed softly.

“Afternoon to you as well, Mr. Lance. It’s been going well, I dare say. A lot of people seem to have torn themselves away from their beds and have started their day. And by the looks of you two, it seems you did the same. Where are you dears off to today?”

“North Center Park.” Keith replied. He then jerked his thumb at Lance. “This one is forcing me to go ice skating with him.”

Mrs. Jenkins tittered behind her hand.

“I’m sure you’ll have fun regardless. You two always get along so well!” She flicked her knitting needles at them, shooing them away. “Well get going then! Enjoy your little date!”

Lance chuckled awkwardly.

“Thank you, but as we’ve said before, we’re not dating, ma’am.”

Mrs. Jenkins shook her head and waved her knitting needles at them again.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, hon. Have a good day dearies! Goodbye!”

They waved farewell to the woman and exited the building. The air was cold, but at least there wasn’t much wind. Lance hoped the cold air could be used as an excuse for the blush he was sporting. Mrs. Jenkins was a sweet old lady, but she could be a bit…blunt, at times. Keith seemed to be thinking the same thing, and they both decided to ignore the woman’s previous comment.

They walked in silence to Lance’s car, a little red Hyundai Elantra, and got in. Lance turned up the heat and waited for the car to warm up before rolling out of the parking lot and onto the main road. The park was about twenty minutes away, and the two decided to pass the time by having a meaningful discussion about Frosty the Snowman’s hat. They made it to the theory of it being a government conspiracy when Lance finally turned into North Central Park’s parking lot.

The park was large, and the normal lawns were covered in a thin layer of snow. The trees had Christmas lights hanging off the branches instead of leaves, and Christmas bows and decorations hung off the lamp poles and tree trunks. In the middle of the park sat a large ice skating rink. It was decorated to imitate a mini North Pole, with plastic Christmas town buildings surrounding the pathways to the rink, and fake icicles and glittering snow sitting on the fences. Everything did not look as grand in the afternoon sun as it would at night, but it was still a sight to see.

Already couples and families were skating around the rink. Their conversations and laughter could be heard over the Christmas music playing over the speakers. Keith had to nearly jog to keep up with Lance’s enthusiastic strides, and soon they had paid for entry and finished of lacing up their skates.

Keith stood up and examined the blades of the skates. As he and Lance trudged toward the ice, Keith muttered under his breath.

“Don’t fuck with me, bitches, I got knife shoes.”

Lance let out an explosive snort of laughter, earning several strange looks from nearby families. The ice was gleaming under the lights, and Lance carefully placed one foot and then the other on the rink. Keith followed in suit. Lance spent a few minutes adjusting his balance, and began skating at an even pace next to Keith. The ice was smooth with no dents or large chunks missing, making it easy to glide in a leisurely pace around the rink.

Lance skirted around slow-moving children and weaved around couples. Keith followed inches behind him, and Lance decided to show off a little bit. As he passed another skater, he spun in a complete 360 and increased his speed. He glanced back, and smirked at Keith. Keith made a show of rolling his eyes, and then he made an impressive cut to the side and copied Lance’s spin before increasing his pace to match Lance’s.

Keith eyed him with a cocky grin.

“You got anything else?” He asked, and Lance shrugged while chuckling weakly.

“Actually, that’s all I can do without falling on my as- _butt_.” Lance quickly censored himself as a child skated by. Keith looked slightly smug.

“Heh, watch this.” Keith sped up until he was directly in front of Lance, and then swung around to skate backwards. Lance huffed and crossed his arms.

“Humph, show off.”

Keith laughed. Lance looked around him, and his eyes widened. “Woah, watch it!” He quickly grabbed Keith’s arm and hauled him to a stop next to the wall, barely preventing Keith from running into a lone child who had just fallen roughly onto the ice. Keith’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Oh crap. Are you ok, kid?” The child, no older than five, looked up at him and struggled to stand. The little girl had a big pout on her face, and her eyes shined with tears. She mumbled something, and tried to stand, before falling down again. They then noticed that she wasn’t wearing any skates. Lance looked at her in alarm, and then moved so he was standing slightly in front of her, making the other skaters aware and skate around them.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing out here on the rink?” He asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. The kid mumbled something unintelligible and crossed her arms.

“Um, can you repeat that?” Keith asked the child, and Lance gave him a look. The child looked up at Keith, then back down to the ice in defeat.

“…I wanna skate….” The girl whispered, as if embarrassed. Lance knelt next to her, not caring if the ice was soaking through his jeans.

“Do you want us to help you off the ice? Then maybe we can find your parents and get you some skates.” He tried to keep his voice light and calming to keep the child from bursting into tears. The girl nodded slowly and scrubbed her running nose. She looked up at Keith and made grabby hands at him.

“Up.” She said softly, but with a commanding tone. Keith looked at Lance, as if silently asking him for help. Lance shrugged and made a “go on” motion with his hands. Keith looked back down at the girl, and awkwardly tried to figure out what to do for a second before gently lifting her into his arms. The child wrapped her arms around his neck as he stood, and Keith supported her by putting one hand under her legs and the other on her back.

Many people curiously glanced their way as Keith skated around the edge of the rink while Lance skated next to him, talking and comforting the girl. They made it to the exit and stepped off of the ice. They then found a nearby bench and sat down. They were there for about a minute, wondering how to find this child’s parents, when a Japanese man came running up to them.

“Oh my god, Kari! There you are!” He was breathing heavy and he looked like he was going to burst into tears himself. The minute the child saw him, she lit up in a heart-shaped smile.

“Daddy!” She squealed and jumped off the bench to run to him. The man fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his child in a tight hug.

“Oh my god.” He repeated. “I was so worried! What have we told you about wondering off?” He chided while giving his child a kiss on the cheek. Kari’s smile fell and she pouted while rubbing at the spot he kissed her.

“Not to do it.” She mumbled in a grumpy manner. The man gave an exasperated sigh, and he gently patted Kari’s head. He then stood and turned to Keith and Lance. He gave them a short bow, and then shook their hands.

“Thank you so much for helping my daughter! My husband and I were getting her skates when she wandered off. I can’t believe she would try to get on the ice with just her normal shoes! Thank you so much, once again!”

Keith smiled.

“I’m glad we were able to help.” He told the man, and Lance nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you have a pretty sweet kid there.” He held out his hand the girl for a high-five, which she stared at hesitantly for a second before smacking it hard. Lance laughed and shook off the stinging sensation in his palm, while Kari grinned with pride. Kari’s dad pushed his glasses further up his nose, still a bit jittery from his obvious scare.

“Really, I can’t thank you enough. Would it be alright if I bought you two hot chocolate? As a thank you.” He offered, but Lance shook his head.

“That’s really nice of you, but you don’t have to give us anything. We’re happy with just the fact that Kari is alright.” Kari’s dad gave a small chuckle.

“I know, but I insist. Besides, when my husband hears about this, he’ll probably try to track you down and treat you two to a four-course meal. That, or offer to buy you a dog or something.” The man chuckled again, and Keith and Lance wondered for a moment whether or not the man was serious. After a few minutes, they finally relented, and let the man give them some money for some hot chocolate later.

The man shook their hands again, and picked up Kari.

“My name’s Yuuri Katsuki, by the way. I actually own an ice rink not too far from here, if you two ever want to come down and visit. It’s called Ice Palace Community Rink; feel free to drop by any time!”

Keith looked at Lance and nodded.

“Yeah, I think we will. It was nice to meet you, sir.”

Lance smiled at Kari.

“Have a nice day, and try to get some skates before getting on the ice again, kid.”

The man said his goodbyes and left to go find his husband. Kari watched Keith and Lance over her dad’s shoulder as he walked away. She gave them a shy smile and waved goodbye. Keith and Lance waved at her as well, and soon they were alone once again.

“Well, that was an adventure!” Lance sighed and stretched his arms over his head. He looked at Keith. “Want to go around again?” But Keith was already walking toward the ice. Lance struggled to run after him without tripping on his skates.

The rink was getting a bit more crowded, so around three o’clock they took a break and ate junk food at the concession stand before going back on the ice one last time. Since it was December, the sun was already beginning to go down. Most of the families had gone home, so all that was left were couples and a few straggling families. Lance and Keith skated leisurely side-by-side.

As the sky grew dark, the lights all around the rink lit up. Multi-colored Christmas lights hung from the trees surrounding the rink, and automated reindeer moved their heads up and down. Both real and fake snow glittered in the lights, and the ice of the rink glowed under the large lights set above it.

Lance could see his breath in the air as the temperature steadily dropped. Keith adjusted his beanie until it was covering his ears, and Lance adjusted his own scarf to keep the chill out.

“A few more laps before tapping out?” Lance asked as they swerved around a giggling couple. Keith nodded and was forced to press his side against Lance’s to avoid running into the two ladies. Lance’s heart leapt at the contact, and his eyes were suddenly drawn towards Keith.

His dark hair was perfect for reflecting the lights all around them, and his cheeks and nose were an adorable shade of pink. The vapor of his breath came out of slightly chapped lips, and it twirled up into the air before disappearing. Lance swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. Just as he did last night, he took a deep breath and gathered up all the little shards of courage he had.

As they were forced to quickly avoid a man and woman, Lance gently grabbed Keith’s hand to help pull him out of the way. Then, Lance didn’t let go. He continued to skate as if nothing happened, only refusing to look Keith’s way. When Keith didn’t react, Lance felt his heart drop a little. Maybe this meant something to Lance that it didn’t for Keith…

Lance let his grip go slack, and began sliding his fingers away from Keith’s. He was unsuccessful, because Keith’s hand tightened around his, preventing him from moving an inch. Lance’s heart was once again alive and beating, and it made sure that Lance knew this. Lance tightened his own grip, and he risked a glance at Keith. He was looking ahead, not at Lance, but the flush in his cheeks had increased. If Lance had thought he was in love with Keith before, he was completely, heart and soul, enamored with him now.

They skated like this for more laps than they had intended. The Christmas music through the speakers turned soft, and tiny snowflakes began to lazily drift down. The sounds of a child’s laughter caught their attention, and they looked to their side. In the middle of the rink was Kari, her father, and another man, presumably Kari’s other dad. The man had hair that looked silver in the light, but his face was young and handsome. He was sporting a heart-shaped smile that matched Kari’s, and he was carrying his daughter on his shoulders. She had skates on now, thank goodness, but it appeared that she didn’t want to put them to use. Kari looked very content exactly where she was. Kari’s other dad, the one Keith and Lance had met, was skating next to them. He had a small smile, and as he gazed at his family, his eyes glittered with a love so pure that it was almost unreal.

For a second, Lance felt slightly envious. To have a love like that…Lance wanted something like it for himself. Keith’s laughing huff recaptured his attention, and he looked down at him. Keith was watching the family as well, with his own smile.

“They’re really sweet.” He murmured, and Lance couldn’t agree more. Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s hand. He wished that they weren’t wearing gloves, then he would be able to feel the warmth of Keith’s skin. Lance looked back at the small family, and smiled.

“Yeah…one day, I hope I can have something like that.” He said in a voice so small, we wasn’t sure Keith could hear.

Keith was silent for a minute, and Lance was sure that he hadn’t heard after all, when he spoke.

“Me too.” Keith whispered, and nudged closer to Lance. His warmth chased away any remains of the cold air around them, and for a moment, everything felt at peace.  Lance wanted to continue on like this forever; just him and Keith, skating with their hands interlocked and sides pressed together, while snow slowly fell onto their eyelashes and burning cheeks. But as all good things, the moment had to come to an end. Without warning, Lance sneezed heavily, and Keith looked at him in concern.

“Hey, we should probably call it a night. It’s getting pretty cold, and we don’t want to get sick...”

Solemn, Lance nodded, and they stepped off the ice. Their skates were soon taken off and replaced by their boots. Snow was coming down slightly heavier, and they decided to grab cups of hot chocolate to keep their shivers at bay. Steam rose from Lance’s cup, and snowflakes evaporated before they reached the liquid. Lance blew on his drink a few times before taking a sip. It was sweet and creamy, and it warmed him from the inside out. A spec of whipped cream stuck to his nose, and Keith wiped it off while laughing.

Christmas lights twinkled in the snow, and they stopped a few times to admire displays that were blinking and moving in time with Christmas songs. Lance liked a display that was a circle of blue lights that imitated a lake with a little bear on a boat in the middle of it. Keith preferred the more traditional displays with large automated reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh. Plastic presents glittered in the back of the sleigh, and the automated Santa Claus waved his arms and nodded with a cheery expression. They reached a display that had several automated woodland creatures smiling and waving at the people walking by. Lance smirked at them.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s: Christmas Edition.” He whispered at Keith, making him snort into his hot chocolate. They finally reached Lance’s car, and they climbed in, grateful to get out of the snow. They shivered as the car took several minutes to heat up. Once the temperature was satisfactory, Lance turned on the wipers to swipe away the snow and put his car in gear. He carefully pulled out of the parking lot, taking care to watch out for pedestrians, and turned down the main road.

To pass the time once again, and to prevent themselves from falling asleep in the cozy warmth, they cranked up the music and sang along as loud and tone deaf as possible. Lance had finished his hard-rock rendition of “Holly Jolly Christmas” when the next song came on. Keith’s eyes lit up, and he turned the volume up. Lance gave him a side glance, and Keith returned it. The two waited a few lines, and then began screeching the next verse together.

“ _I wanna hippopotamus for Christmaaassss! Only a hippopotamus will dooo_!”

Lance sang the music, while Keith belted out the next verses.

“ _Don’t wanna doll, no dinky tinky toy! I wanna hippopotamus to play with and enjoy!_ ” He began dancing in his seat, and Lance head banged along with the music. “ _I wanna hippopotamus for Christmaaass! I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you_?”

Lance shrugged and added a quick “Nope.” Before Keith continued.

“ _He won’t have to use, a dirty chimney flue! Just bring him through the front door, that’s the easy thing to do!”_

Keith began pantomiming a creeping motion with his arms.

“ _I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs!_ ” He threw his arms open wide. “ _Oh what joy and what surprise, when I open up my eyes, to see a hippo hero standing there!”_

Lance joined in for the next verses.

“ _I wanna hippopotamus for Christmasss! Only a hippopotamus will do! No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses, I only likes hippopotamuses! And hippopotamuses like me toooo!_ ”

The two head-banged to the music, and Keith drummed on the dash with his hands.

“ _Mom says a hippo, will eat me up, but then Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian!_ ”

They yelled with the music, and as they came to a red light, they danced wildly in their seats.

“ _There’s lots of room for him in our two-car garage! I’d feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage!_ ”

 The car next to them looked at them in stunned astonishment; then the light turned green and they continued on.

“ _I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs!_ _Oh what joy and what surprise, when I open up my eyes, to see a hippo hero standing there!”_

The last chorus was the loudest yet. They sang at the top of their lungs, until their vocal cords ached.

“ _I wanna hippopotamus for Christmasss! Only a hippopotamus will do! No crocodiles, no rhinoceroseses, I only likes hippopotamuseses! And hippopotamuses like me tooooooooo!!!!_ ”

The song came to an end, and Lance and Keith laughed until they were breathless. Keith’s laughs finally died to chuckles, and he leaned against the back of the seat.

“Heh, man, that song is awesome.” Lance grinned as he pulled into the parking lot of their apartment.

“I wholeheartedly agree. It makes me think of the hippo I gave you for your fifteenth birthday.” Keith laughed at this and opened the door once the car was parked.

“Yeah. Marmora is awesome, but you can never have too many hippos.”

 Lance nodded and locked the car. Snow was coming down very heavily now. They hurried inside, and the door slammed shut behind them. They stomped their boots on the mat and brushed off excess snow from their clothes. Lance leaned over and brushed snow from Keith’s hair. His hands accidentally brushed Keith’s cheeks as he brought them down. Keith stiffened, and turned bright red. Unfortunately, Lance didn’t notice. He was too busy shivering and making a beeline towards the elevator.

One elevator ride later, they were on their floor and entering their apartment. A barrage of meows greeted them, and Red and Blue curled around their legs until they could barely walk. Lance lifted Blue into his arms and kissed her head. Keith did the same with Red, and as they shuffled in, he closed and locked the door.

“Hey girl, did you miss us?” He asked, and Red purred in response. Blue leapt out of Lance’s arms and greeted Keith, and Red did the same with Lance. Lance laughed and ran a hand down the curve of her spine.

“You guys really missed us, huh?” Red trotted to her food dish and meowed. “Or you just missed dinner.” Lance sighed, and went to grab the cat food.

Keith and Lance were too tired to do anything that night other than shower and eat a quick meal of cereal. Then they sat on the couch and watched mindless television until they couldn’t stop their drooping eyelids. Lance yawned until his jaw ached, and he stood up to go get ready for bed.

“Hey, Lance.” Keith’s words made him pause and turn to look at him. Keith was curled up in their usual blanket, and he was looking at Lance an expression that he couldn’t decipher, much like the one earlier that morning. “Thanks for today. I had the most fun I had in a while.”

Words escaped Lance for a second, and then he gave a small smile.

“No problem. Thanks for going along with everything. Things just… always seem a hundred times better when you’re with me.” Lance laughed quietly to himself, not knowing what else to say. Keith chuckled softly and pulled the blanket closer around him.

“I feel the same way.”

After a moment of silence, Keith yawned, and Lance decided that it was his cue to leave. He picked up Blue, and walked towards the hallway.

“Night Keith.”

“Night Lance.”

As he entered his room, Lance turned on his bedside lamp and shrugged off his shirt. The cool air hit his skin, causing goosebumps to spread across his arms and chest. Lance quickly shrugged on a long sleeve night shirt and pants, and then climbed into bed. Blue hopped up onto the mattress and curled on Lance’s chest under the blanket. Careful not to not disturb his cat, Lance reached over and turned off the light before snuggling back under the covers. They were chilly, but his body heat was already warming them up.

Lance let out a long sigh and looked out the window. The street lights slightly illuminated the sky outside. Through the blinds, he could see the snow falling down. He watched it for a while, before he closed his eyes, and was alone with his thoughts.

Contrary to what he thought earlier, he found himself not thinking about the university party in two days, when his time would be up. Lance’s thoughts drifted to the family they had run into earlier. But instead of seeing the Japanese man with his husband and child, he saw himself, Keith, and a little boy about Kari’s age.

They were laughing and skating together. The boy was sitting on Keith’s shoulders, and Keith’s arm was around Lance’s waist. He saw himself give Keith a quick kiss on the cheek, and the little boy pouted until he got one as well. Laughing, the image of Lance reached up and kissed the child on both cheeks. Then it was Keith’s turn to pout, since he got only one kiss. Lance laughed again, and gave him another one on the cheek. Snow was falling down lightly onto the ice, and the lights that were still engraved in Lance’s mind twinkled behind them.

In real life, snuggled under the covers of his bed, Lance smiled as he slipped into sleep. He dreamed of a little family of his own, in a world where the perfect moments lasted forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehehe. So, how was it? I love ice skating cuteness! Even though I can't ice skate to save my life. Oh well, its fun to write about! Also, if anyone got a certain reference to a certain ice skating show, I'll give you a non-existent cookie! Anyway, I gotta go, so review, or not, it's your choice! I'll see y'all later! Merry Christmas!!!!


	3. Day 2: Snow Fights and Sword Fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo! I'm back, and I've missed all of you! First things first, thank you, all of you, for your wonderful support! I'm so happy that this story is able to bring some good old Christmas joy to its readers! It's an honor to be writing for amazing people like y'all! And I know you probably want to get to the story, but before we do, disclaimer. *Ahem* I don't own anything; zero, zip, nada, goose-egg. Please don't get me arrested, I rather like my freedom. Anyway and anywho, let's get going to the chapter, shall we?

* * *

 

Lance once again snapped awake as his phone’s alarm went off. He scrambled to silence it, accidentally pushing Blue off the bed in the process. His cat gave him an annoyed look and trotted with her tail held high to her bed in the corner of the room.

Lance swung his legs off the bed, and shivered as the cold air hit him. It was much colder this morning than yesterday. He pulled on his robe and fuzzy socks before making his bed. The light coming through the window caught his attention, and he could tell that snowflakes were falling down.

Curious, he lifted up the blinds and peered outside. He blinked several times, and broke into a big grin.

The world was covered in a thick blanket of snow, and flurries were still falling down. Icicles hung from the tree branches, and the snow was smooth, not yet been trodden on by careless feet. This was perfect!

Lance let the blinds drop and hurried out of his room. Without warning, he barged into Keith’s room and leapt onto the bed. He began bouncing up and down on the mattress obnoxiously.

“Keith Keith Keith!!!” He chanted as he jumped. Keith snorted awake. His blanket flung from his shoulders as he sat up looked around wildly.

“Whazza matter?” His voice was slurred with sleep. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at Lance. “What? You’re waking me up early again?”

Lance nodded and flopped heavily onto the mattress, and then onto the floor. He ran to the window and pulled open the blinds. Keith flinched at the sudden light filling his room, and he had to let his eyes adjust before he could see what Lance was pointing at.

“Snow?” He asked, as if it wasn’t important enough to be woken up for.

Lance let go of the blinds and marched to Keith’s closet. He rummaged around in it for a minute, ignoring Keith’s protests, and pulled out what he was looking for. He tossed the thick sweater onto the bed, and a jacket, hat, and scarf soon followed.

It looked like Keith was understanding Lance’s plan now. His eyebrows lost their confused furrow and he crossed his arms.

“Really? You want to go out and play in the snow?” He deadpanned, shivering as the cold air hit him.

Lance grabbed the hat and pulled it over Keith’s bedhead. Keith lifted it away from his eyes and gave Lance an unamused look. Lance gave him his most winning smile.

“C’mon! It’ll be fun! Please?” Lance wasn’t above begging, and Keith knew this. Keith continued to look stubborn, so Lance wiggled his fingers at him. “Do I need to tickle you again to get you up?” 

Keith swung his arms up in a defensive position.

“Oh no. We aren’t repeating that.” He thought for a moment, and then smirked. “Unless I’m the one who’s doing the tickling.” Lance scoffed.

“Fat chance! You got lucky yesterday, and I won’t let it happen again!” 

“Try me!”

“Maybe I will!”

They stared at each other, and then Keith lunged. Lance yelped and leapt out of the way. Keith laughed as he chased Lance out of the room, close enough to grab him. Lance called over his shoulder as he retreated to his room.

“Get dressed, and we’ll settle this outside!” He slammed his door shut, and heard Keith’s laughter before it faded out.

Lance chuckled to himself and began rummaging through his own closet. This was a good idea, there was nothing more Christmas-y than going outside into several feet of snow and playing in it until you can’t feel your fingers and toes!

Lance paused at a sudden thought, and smiled. It’s cliché, but what better place than a wonderland of snow to prove himself to Keith that he was a better match for him than anyone else? His smile grew embarrassed, and a blush appeared on his cheeks.

And…maybe… he could find an excuse to hold Keith’s hand again.

Lance shook himself and patted his cheeks in efforts to get himself back on track. He had to start getting ready, or Keith will probably try to fall asleep again. He took off his shirt and quickly pulled on an undershirt and then a sweater. The sweater was one that Keith got him last Christmas, and it had a picture of a cat with a Santa hat on it. He saved putting on his jacket until before they left, he didn’t want to get too hot before then.

After finding his gloves and scarf, he threw his jacket over his elbow and stepped into the hallway. He was the first one out, so he went ahead and fed the cats before they got antsy. Blue dug into the little kibbles in the bowl, and soon Red appeared out of nowhere and followed her fellow cat’s lead.

Lance cooed at them softly, and then put the cat food away. He glanced out the window and then got an idea. Lance slid the drawer under the oven open, and took out the biggest baking sheet they had. He held it out in front of him and turned it, examining its height and width. It looked like it could hold a person, maybe two if one sat on the other’s lap. He nodded, and tucked it under his arm just as Keith walked in.

Keith glanced at the kitchen as he tied his scarf around his neck.

“What’s with the pan?” He asked. Lance winked at him mysteriously.

“You’ll see~!”

Keith huffed and zipped up his jacket. He then eyed the refrigerator.

“Okay…. But shouldn’t we eat breakfast first before going outside?” He questioned, but the only answer he got was Lance giving him a giant grin before grabbing his hat and shoving it onto Keith’s head.

“The snow waits for nothing!” He cried.

Keith squawked and tried to move the hat out of his eyes once again. When he lifted it up, he noticed that Lance was already gone. He sighed, gave the cats a pat on the head, and then exited the apartment to follow his friend. He stepped into the hall and looked down to the elevator.

Lance stood in the elevator and waggled his fingers at Keith as the doors began to close. Keith sprinted toward it, and managed to throw his arm in between them right before they closed. He shoved himself into the elevator and glared at Lance, who pretended not to notice while whistling innocently.

The bell dinged, and the doors opened at the lobby floor. Not a single soul was in sight as they walked to the main door. Presumably, everyone was doing the smart thing and staying indoors while the cold front passed.

Lance and Keith, however, didn’t want to conform to the masses, and they stepped out into the freezing air. It was lucky that the door opened inward, or else they would’ve had a hard time getting out with the few feet of snow sitting in front of the glass.

Snow crunched under their boots as they waddled out into the deep snow banks that sat against the building.

Keith shut the door heavily behind him, and he followed Lance, putting his feet in the holes Lance’s boots already made in the snow as he walked. They made it to the small park that was next to their apartment.

At the moment, they were the only people outside, and with the snow covering literally everything and the icicles glittering in the trees, it almost looked like they were in a different world.

Lance adjusted his hat and tightened his gloves before casually bending down and placing the baking tray safely next to a tree before scooping up handful of snow. He snickered quietly to himself as he made his snowball; Keith wouldn’t know what hit him. He stood up and whirled around to throw his snowball when-

**_Splat!_ **

Cold snow hit his face. He staggered back, and blinked the snow from his eyes with surprise. Keith stood in front of him, smiling innocently while holding another snowball. He then threw it, hitting Lance right in the chest. Lance smirked. Oh, it was on.

Keith ducked Lance’s snowball and began running to the cover of a nearby tree. Lance ran after him, scooping up snow and patting it between his hands as he ran. He tossed his snowball, and this time it hit Keith on the back. Keith dove behind the tree, grabbed some snow, and threw a snowball back at Lance.

Lance dropped to the ground to dodge it. He scrambled up, kicking snow wildly behind him, and ran around the tree. Keith saw him coming and began running towards the small playground several yards away.

Lance laughed as he tried to catch up with him, and threw more snow. Keith cut to the side and threw a snowball that hit Lance on the arm. Lance managed to hit Keith on the leg, making him stumble and slow down. Lance lunged at him, and Keith leapt to the side, laughing as he sprinted in a circle around Lance.

Snow was kicked up as they ran, destroying the smooth layer of glistening white that covered the park.

Keith made it to the safety of the playground and strode up the stairs to duck behind the little wall with spinning balls that kids could play with.

Lance skid to a stop and nearly tripped. He flailed his arms and managed to keep his balance, only to fall flat on his back as a snowball hit his head. Keith’s laughter taunted him, and he leapt to his feet, with minimal slipping, and ran up the stairs. Keith ran down the play-place and over a little bouncy bridge before reaching the slide.

Keith looked over his shoulder and held up his fingers in a peace sign before throwing himself down the slide. Snow was flung over the side as Keith reached the bottom.

Lance grabbed the bar above the slide and he flung himself down in efforts to catch up. Keith ran to the swings, and Lance followed right behind him. Keith stopped behind the pole of the swings and Lance stopped in front of it.

As Lance moved to run to one side, Keith made move to run to the other. Lance leaned to the other side, and Keith did the same. Grinning, Lance ran around the pole, his fingers just barely missing Keith’s jacket.

They ran in a circle a few times, and before he could get too dizzy, Keith sprinted away from the playground. Once again, Lance was hot on his heels.

Finally, Lance managed to grab the back of Keith’s jacket. He cackled, and shoved a handful of snow down Keith’s shirt. Keith yelled as the icy water hit his neck and back, and he wrenched himself out of Lance’s grip, cursing as he tried to shake the snow out.  

Lance laughed at Keith’s struggles.

“What’s wrong? It’s just a little snow!” He called out.

He then let out a surprised screech as Keith yanked off his hat and plopped two handfuls of snow onto his head. It was freezing, and his skin broke out into new goosebumps.

He shook his head like a dog, trying to shake out the snow and prevent his hair from getting too wet. Keith snorted, and Lance glared at him while putting on his hat crossly.

His eyes then widened as Keith held up a huge chunk of snow. He slowly shook his head, and Keith nodded. He shook his head faster, and Keith nodded again while walking slowly towards him. Lance ran as fast as he could, but he could hear Keith cackle and chase after him.

“It’s just a little snow, Lance!” Keith yelled, and Lance flipped him the middle finger.

Lance yelled as Keith tackled him and they both fell heavily onto the snow. They wrestled and roughhoused, trying to pin each other and stuff snow down each other’s jackets.

The cold air carried the sounds of their laughter farther than usual, and the snow in their wake was becoming a decimated mess.

Their energy finally drained, and they flopped limply onto their backs next to each other. Their laughs slowed into small chuckles as they tried to catch their breath.

The freezing air burned Lance’s nose and throat as he panted. Small clouds puffed out of his lips as he laid on the snow, watching as flurries drifted down. He turned his head to look at Keith, who was lying next to him, his chest rising and falling rapidly as well. Lance reached over and held his hand out.

“Truce?” He asked, wheezing slightly. Keith barely glanced at his hand before he reached up and shook it.

“Yeah, truce.”

Lance let his arm drop into the snow. Then, he began moving both his arms and legs at the same time. Snow was pushed aside, and pressed against his chest as he moved.

Keith watched him for a while, and then began copying his movements, with his hand running into Lance’s as he moved his arms.

Lance sat up, and carefully crawled out of the indent he made. Keith got up and stood next to him, and they looked down at their snow-angels. Because they had been so close together, it looked like their angels’ wings were merged together on one side.

Lance nodded and patted the snow from his pants.

“Alright, what next?” He asked. Keith shrugged and shook his hat before putting it back on.

“You’re the one who wanted to come out here.” He said, and Lance pouted.

“Oh come on! Aren’t you having fun? Surely there must be _something_ you want to do while we’re out here!”

Keith thought for a moment, and he hesitantly spoke.

“…A snowman. I want to make a snowman.”

 Lance was going to start singing the dreaded song about building snowmen, when he saw how genuinely excited Keith looked.

As if expecting Lance to start teasing him, Keith gave him a wary glance. The last thing Lance wanted to do was make Keith feel bad by making fun of what he wanted to do. So instead of teasing, Lance smiled and gave Keith an energetic thumbs up.

“That’s a perfect idea! Let’s do it!”

Lance crouched down and began rolling a small snowball.

To be honest, he really wanted to make a snowman as well. He hadn’t made one in a few years, so this made him pretty excited. He then noticed after a minute that Keith wasn’t joining in; he looked up and cocked his head in a questioning gesture.

“Something the matter dude?” His question apparently shook Keith out of the reverie he was in.

He blinked, and then joined in on rolling the ball of snow that was growing rapidly. The snow was perfect packing snow, making it easy for them to build the body of the snowman, if you could call it that. It actually looked more like the love child of a gremlin and one of those creatures from the movie _Alien_.

Keith placed a few small stones he found onto the creature’s face for eyes, and Lance snapped a few twigs to give it a mouth. They then molded the snow so it looked like it had several arms and a misshapen body. For the finishing touch, Keith grabbed two icicles from a tree and stuck them onto the creature’s head like horns.

They stepped back and admired their abomination. After a minute, Lance gently elbowed Keith’s side.

“It looks like you.” He snickered. Keith glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and then he snatched Lance’s hat and placed it on the snowcreature’s head. Then he moved one of the icicles so it was sticking out like a long nose.

“Now it looks more like you.”

Keith snorted with laughter as Lance squawked indignantly about how his nose was not that long. Reaching up, Keith poked Lance’s nose with his finger.

“Stop kidding yourself Lance. Your snout is huge.”

At this phrasing, Lance paused his whining. A large shit-eating grin grew on his face, and Keith immediately regretted everything.

“That sounds like a sexual euphemism.” Lance giggled like a twelve year-old. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Real mature.” He scoffed. Lance laughed harder before widening his stance and gestured his hands towards his lower region.

“My snout is _huge_.” He mimicked in a rough voice, and Keith shoved him, trying to hide his own snickers. Lance’s laughs grew louder. “You’re just jealous, Keith! Your snout will never be as big as mine!”

Keith covered his mouth and tried not to laugh at Lance’s juvenile taunting. He coughed a few times to get his giggles under control.

“Ok ok, enough dick jokes.” He said, still trying to keep the chuckles out of his voice.

Lance whined at this, and Keith dumped more snow on him. Lance stuck his tongue out at him and brushed the snow from his shoulders. He then swiped the hat off the snowcreature and placed it on his own head. His ears were thankful for a cover from the icy breeze, even though the cotton of the hat was soaked with snow.

Lance’s gaze was caught by a small silver object, and then he remembered that he still had a baking tray just laying out in the snow. He ran to grab it, and then took Keith’s hand and began dragging him towards a hill. Keith looked at him, the hill, and then the baking tray, before a lightbulb went off inside his head.

“…Well this will be interesting.” He mumbled, more to himself than anything.

They made it to the top of the hill, and Lance set the baking tray on the snow and sat on it. The tray submerged under the snow, and Lance had to scoot along by pushing his feet against the snow beside him. He grit his teeth, and he could feel Keith’s amusement behind him.

In this manner of scooting awkwardly across the snow, he finally made it to the bottom of the hill after a few minutes.

He looked up and was pleased to see that the snow was now flattened to make a small pathway down the hill. Lance hurried back up, and once again set the tray on the snow and sat on it. This time, it slid a bit easier, but Lance sill had to push himself along several times.

Around the fourth try, Lance finally managed to slide effortlessly down the hill, whooping with glee. His legs were too long to keep his feet on the baking tray, so he stretched them out in front of him and hovered them above the ground as he slid. After he returned to the top of the hill again, he handed the baking tray to Keith.

“Your turn!” He announced.

Keith grabbed the tray, set it down, and sat on it. He adjusted himself awkwardly, trying to find the best way to sit. He frowned and began scooching himself toward the edge of the hill.

“I feel stupid.” Keith stated, and Lance gave him a push. Lance laughed as Keith yelled all the way down the hill. At the bottom, Keith fell off the tray and face-planted into the snow, making Lance laugh harder. Grumbling, Keith trudged back up the hill and handed Lance the tray. He looked down the hill with a contemplative look.

“That was… actually kinda fun…except the part where my face became well acquainted with the ground.” Keith shrugged and wiped off the melted snow on his face.

Lance smiled and eagerly set the tray down again. He sat on it, but instead of moving, he looked up at Keith and patted his lap.

“Let’s see if we can slide down together!” Lance hoped his burning face wasn’t as obvious as it felt.

Keith stared at him, and then looked around, as if wondering if Lance just said what he thought he said. After receiving no answer, he put his hands on his hips and sighed.

“…We’re gunna die.”

He heavily sat down on Lance’s lap with an ‘oof’, and held his legs out in front of him. Lance tried not to fidget and make it very awkward very fast.

Slowly, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist. His body was warm, making it hard not to snuggle into his back. Lance used his legs to scoot them over the edge of the hill. The tray protested for a minute, and then slid down the hill easily-  _too_ easily.

They flew down the hill in a record speed and reckless abandon, with Lance laughing and Keith yelling with both excitement and worry. The wind whipped their hair back, and they each had to reach up and hold down their hats; Keith with both hands and Lance with one, the other was still wrapped around Keith’s waist.

They couldn’t control the baking tray, so when they reached the bottom of the hill, they hit a snow bank and were flung off.

Lance cried out with shock as he landed heavily on the snow and rolled to a stop. Something heavy flopped on top of him, pushing him further into the ground. He heard Keith mutter an “ow”, and his eyes popped open.

The first thing he saw was the most beautiful violet eyes he’s ever seen. Of course the sun peaked out of the clouds for this one moment, and reflected off of Keith’s wide eyes in such a way that they reminded Lance of glittering, polished gems. The grey sky created a halo effect around Keith’s dark hair, and snow was sticking to his red cheeks and long eyelashes.  

To make things even _more_ difficult for Lance, Keith had fallen in a manner that his arms were accidentally pinning Lance’s shoulders to the ground.

Lance’s heart was beating frantically against his ribcage, as if wanting to escape. Lance didn’t know if he wanted to run away like a coward, or simply let himself lie there for the rest of his life, with Keith’s face being the last thing he sees before he dies.

Keith wasn’t looking away, wasn’t blinking, wasn’t doing anything. The only sign that he was breathing was the occasional cloud of breath escaping his lips in time with the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

Unconsciously, Lance wet his lips nervously. His mouth parted slightly, as if to say something, and that broke the spell.

Those gorgeous violet eyes blinked, and Keith’s breath hitched before he flailed off of Lance.

Snow was kicked up as Keith scrambled to stand. Lance was stunned for a second, not knowing how to react. All he knew was the Keith looked like he was freaking out a little, maybe a lot, and he had to defuse the situation.

Lance forced a chuckle, and he sat up and brushed the snow from his shoulders.

“I knew it would work!” He said, trying to sound happy and unbothered. He plucked the baking tray from the snowbank and shook the snow from it.

“Who needs to buy a sled, when you have this?!” He raised the pan triumphantly. Lance stood up, and avoided glancing at Keith as he brushed the rest of the snow off of his arms and legs.

“We should’ve taken a video, Hunk would’ve loved this!” He checked himself for bruises, and then finally worked up the nerve to face Keith.

“You ok man? We took a pretty heavy spill.” He asked, hoping that his friend was fine.

Keith had taken a few steps back from him and was adjusting his hat again, hiding his face in the process.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

Lance nodded.

“Yup! It’ll take more than just a little snow to take me down!” He laughed and jogged a little in place, to show that he wasn’t hurting anywhere.

Keith nodded, and the red in his cheeks died down. The tension in the air was dissipating, and Keith was visibly starting to relax now that the compromising situation was rapidly becoming a memory.

This made Lance feel a bit hurt; was he really so terrible in comparison to the person Keith has a crush on, that Keith felt uncomfortable around him?

Lance frowned. No. No matter what, he’s Keith’s friend! They’ve known each other for a long time; Keith wouldn’t _hate_ to be around him! Maybe it was just uncomfortable for him to be in a situation like that with someone he didn’t have a romantic interest in.

Lance tightened his grip on the baking tray. He may not be making any progress in wooing Keith, but he couldn’t give up! He has to at least _try_ to put up a fight, or he really will lose Keith…forever. He’ll just have to continue trying, while making sure he doesn’t make Keith uncomfortable in the process.

The baking tray was then tucked under Lance’s arm, and he turned to Keith.

“You know what? I’m starting to lose feeling in my toes. Maybe we should head on back.”

Keith nodded enthusiastically in agreement as he rubbed his hands together.

“ _Please_. This was fun, but I really want to go get something to eat and warm up by freezing limbs.”

They turned towards their apartment building and began walking. A strong gust of wind violently picked up, causing them to stagger sideways.

Keith suddenly cursed and ran. Lance looked up with alarm and saw Keith’s scarf blowing away.

“Shit.” Lance yelled and hurried after Keith, only to skid to a stop shortly after Keith’s scarf wrapped around the top branches of a tall tree. Keith cursed again and angrily kicked the tree’s trunk.

“Jack Frost can _bite my ass_!” He hissed, and another gust of wind nearly caused his head to collide with the trunk. Lance huffed and crossed his arms before saying,

“Well, that fuckin’ sucks.”

Keith glared up at the scarf and kicked the trunk again.

“No shit.” He growled.

Before Lance could stop him, he began trying to climb the tree. Unfortunately, it was winter, so the trunk was wet with snow and slick with ice. Keith barely managed to climb and inch before slipping off and falling on his ass.

Growling like an angry cat, Keith leapt at the tree and tried again, and again to climb it, until he was breathing heavily from exhaustion and rage. Lance had to grab his arm and pull him back before he broke his neck trying to fight the tree.

“Hey man! Don’t worry about it. It’s just a scarf, we’ll get you another one!” He patted Keith’s arm reassuringly. Keith shook his head and shoved his hands grumpily into his pocket.

“You don’t understand. You gave me that one for Christmas last year!”

Lance’s eyes widened, and he looked back up to the scarf. Sure enough, it was the light blue knitted scarf he spent weeks working on before last Christmas. Keith had refused to take it off for five days straight after he received it, so he obviously really loved it. Another gust of wind nearly knocked Lance off his feet, and caused Keith to stumble into the tree.

They couldn’t stay out for much longer like this. Snow had soaked into their pants and jackets, making the cold even more unbearable. Lance’s fingers and toes were numb, and he was sure Keith’s were too. Lance shook his head and began steering Keith away from the tree.

“It’s just a scarf Keith. Besides, there’s a- ah- possibility of you getting another one on Christmas morning. But I wouldn’t know, it’s going to be from Santa after all.” Lance winked at him. Keith chuckled, but gave the scarf one last longing look before turning around and walking beside Lance.

“Weren’t you the one who was planning a coup against Santa just yesterday?” He asked. Lance shrugged.

“Eh, that was yesterday Lance talking. I’m smarter and wiser now.” Lance smiled as Keith laughed.

A hearty wind caught them, and Lance held onto his hat and scarf tightly. Keith grabbed both sides of his hat and held it down. Lance felt his teeth chattering, but he could feel Keith’s entire body shivering violently bedside him as the cold air hit his bare neck. Without thinking, Lance unraveled his own scarf and began wrapping it around Keith.

Keith leaned away and shook his head.

“You wear it. I’m fine.” Lance tried again to put it on Keith, who continued to struggle.

“Just wear the damn thing! You’re freezing!” He grunted as Keith squirmed in his grip.

“And you aren’t?” Keith retorted. Lance narrowed his eyes at him, and then he had an idea. It was risky, but perhaps it was worth it.

“We…could share it?” He suggested slowly. Keith looked at him in surprise. It looked like he was going to deny it, but then another gust of wind hit him in the face. Keith didn’t have any qualms about sharing the scarf after that.

Lance pressed his side firmly against Keith’s and wrapped the scarf around both of their necks. Lance silently thanked his nana for knitting him such a long scarf. It was hard to walk pressed up against each other like this, but they somehow made it work.

Lance twitched as he felt an arm wrap around his waist. To make it easier to walk, Keith had moved his arm until it was around Lance’s back, and he put his hand into Lance’s far left pocket to keep warm.

For Lance, it now felt like his stomach had moved up to where his heart was, and his heart had taken up residence in his throat. His hand slowly wrapped around Keith’s back, and he held the baking pan next to him. His other hand though, slipped into his pocket next to Keith’s. Their fingers interlocked, conserving the heat between them so they wouldn’t freeze. 

If the snow around them felt like an icy tundra, then Keith’s side felt like a warm summer beach. The scarf they were sharing also made it so they had to walk with their heads pulled close together. Their cheeks were an inch from touching, and Lance could hear every small breath Keith took.

They drew closer to their apartment, and Lance longed for a nice cup of hot tea. Keith then shifted closer to him and nearly rested his head on Lance’s shoulder. Lance suddenly decided that he wanted to stay outside in the snow, if that meant that he could spend all day like this with Keith.

They finally made it to the apartment building, and Lance pushed open the heavy door. Warm air rushed over them as they stepped inside. The door behind them snapped shut, and the howling of the wind was muffled.

Lance stomped his feet on the mat in a futile effort to shake off the snow. Then, reluctantly, he unraveled the scarf around his and Keith’s necks.

Lance took a step away from Keith, and already he hated being inside and not having an excuse to hold Keith’s hand anymore. They made small talk in the elevator, and discussed their thoughts over the time spent in the snow. Then, as usual, Blue and Red greeted them as they walked into their apartment.

They wasted no time in changing out of their wet clothes and into soft dry ones. Keith put their snowy shoes into the tub and hanged their jackets in the bathroom so they wouldn’t drip water everywhere.

In the kitchen, Lance scrounged around the pantry until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out two cans of soup and set them on the counter. Then he got out the bread and the cheese slices. In a few minutes, he whipped up four grilled cheese sandwiches.

Keith had taken over making the soup, and poured one can of tomato soup into a bowl and another can of chicken noodle into another. He heat up the bowls by zapping them in the microwave for a minute, and then he carefully took them out and stirred them. He handed Lance the bowl of tomato soup and grabbed the other one for himself.

Lance then grabbed his plate of grilled cheese and walked over to the couch. He set his bowl of soup on the side table and wrapped himself in a blanket before sitting down.

Keith sat next to him and grabbed the remote to their PlayStation 4. He turned on Netflix, and they watched mindless television for a few hours while munching on their late lunch.

Lance finished his first, so after he put his dishes in the sink, he decided to get a bit of work done. He walked into his room and brought out wrapping paper and shopping bags. He sat down in front of the couch and began taking the items out of the bags.

Keith swallowed a piece of his sandwich and watched him with interest.

“Are those Hunk’s and Pidge’s gifts?” He asked, and earned a “Yep” in reply.

Lance hummed to himself softly as he rolled out the wrapping paper and cut it. He reached over and grabbed a small box that contained a new watch for Pidge. She had broken hers while trying to help her girlfriend set up their Christmas tree. Don’t ask him how she managed to do it.

He chose a bright green paper that was covered in glitter to wrap her gift, because he was extra like that. The box was wrapped and then topped with a green bow.

He was writing, ‘To my favorite gremlin’ on the tag when he noticed Keith sitting next to him. Keith grabbed Hunk’s present, a new pair of oven mitts, and began wrapping them in festive holiday paper. He reached over and borrowed the tape from Lance, and then handed it back when Lance needed it to wrap a gift for Shiro.

Lance looked into one of the bags for another gift to wrap, and immediately closed it and hid it behind his back when he saw that it was a gift for Keith.

“Nope, can’t let you see that until Christmas.” He mumbled to himself more than to Keith. But that only sparked Keith’s curiosity. He tried to subtly glance around Lance to see the present, but Lance smacked him in the arm.

“Hey, no peeking, you sneak!” Lance chided, but unfortunately, Keith took this as a challenge.

Whenever Lance looked down to wrap a gift, Keith tried to inch over and look at his present. Lance always caught him though, and he used an empty tube of gift wrap to whack Keith’s arm.

Keith suddenly grabbed a bow and stuck the sticky side to Lance’s face. Lance made a noise of surprise, and Keith lunged for the present. Lance tackled him and hit him with the tube of gift wrap again.

“No! Bad Keith!” Lance emphasized his words by whacking Keith’s head lightly.

Keith rolled away from the attack, and grabbed his own empty tube of gift wrap. He leapt to his feet and took a battle stance, wielding the tube like a sword.

“I challenge thee to a duel!” He smirked, and Lance narrowed his eyes. Lance got up and pointed his own gift wrap tube at Keith.

“A duel? For the present?” He gestured at the bag behind him. Keith smiled challengingly and nodded. Lance gave an evil chuckle. “Try and get it then! En guarde!”

Lance lunged with his ‘sword’, and Keith parried and jabbed his sword at Lance’s chest. Lance dodged and swung, which Keith blocked again. The hollow paper tubes made a muted ‘thwack’ sound each time they hit each other. Keith’s sword hit Lance’s side, and Lance managed a hit to Keith’s arm.

Jumping away from another attack, Keith jabbed his sword again and hit Lance in the stomach. Lance made a dramatic twirl before hitting Keith in the side.

They giggled like children as they continued to whack each other with the paper tubes.

Lance swung up his sword and hit Keith’s. There was a crack, and Lance’s sword bent in half. He stared at it, stunned, and then he looked up and stared at Keith. They burst into laughter at the same time.

Red and Blue stared at them from the corner of the room, wondering what their humans found so funny. Red blinked slowly, and then turned back to grooming Blue, deciding to ignore all the noise her humans were making.

Their laughter finally died down, and Lance stared at his sword; it was useless now. He glanced up to see Keith smirk, and then his sword was jabbed into Lance’s chest.

Lance gasped dramatically and gripped the paper tube. He made a choking noise, and he staggered backwards.

“…This is how it all ends, is it? Being killed by my best friend.” Lance breathed, feigning disbelief.

He fell to his knees and then flopped onto the ground. He made another over-the-top choking noise and reached towards his cat. “Blue, help…me!” He whispered.

Blue looked at him with disinterest, and gave him a dismissive flick of the tail. Keith laughed, and Lance glared at her.

“You little traitor! I’ll haunt your ass for this!” He then let his body go limp, sticking his tongue out and pretending to be dead.

Keith held no sympathy for him, and he unceremoniously stepped on Lance’s stomach. Lance yelped and shot up.

“Keith what the hell?”

“Heh, I believe I won. Now, the prize?” Keith smirked, and Lance sighed.

“Fine, fine.”

From his spot on the ground, Lance reached over and grabbed the plastic bag. It rustled as he reached in and pulled out a videogame case. He held it up for Keith to take. Keith grabbed it and raised an eyebrow.

“Is this one of those mystery games you play?” He asked, sounding like he didn’t know what to think. Lance grinned and let his hands rest on stomach; he was still laying on the ground.

“Yup! I thought we could play it together! This one looked pretty interesting, and I think you’ll like it. It has swords in it!”

Keith rolled his eyes at this.

“I don’t like things just because of swords!” He then eyed the case again. “Though it does look kinda cool...”

Lance jumped to his feet and fist bumped the air.

“Yes! Then let’s play it!” He cheered, and Keith gave him a look.

“Right _now_?”

Lance nodded.

“Right now!”

He grabbed the game case and then Keith’s hand and dragged him to his room. Lance grabbed his laptop from his desk and jumped onto his bed. He patted beside him, and Keith hopped up after a moment of hesitation.

Keith leaned against the many pillows on the head of the mattress and watched as Lance put the cd into his laptop and installed the game. Red and Blue padded into the room and leapt onto the bed, curling up at their humans’ feat.

The opening menu appeared on the laptop and music flowed through the speakers. Lance clicked ‘New Game’ and they watched the opening scene. Lance and Keith took turns controlling the mouse as they played through the game.

There wasn’t so much as going around and finding clues as there was making the character walk around and interact with other characters and solving puzzles, but it was till fun to discuss their thoughts over the whole mystery and who they thought was the culprit.

Hours after the sun set, they were still playing it. It was a long game, and they got stuck several times trying to solve the puzzles. Around the game’s halfway mark, Keith had gotten up and prepared a frozen pizza in the oven.

They munched on it while relaxing on Lance’s bed and trying to solve the mystery of the game. Keith thought the younger sister was the culprit, but Lance kept on insisting that the butler did it.

It had began to snow once more outside, so they curled up in blankets and made themselves hot chocolate to drink while they lounged on the bed.

They were near the end of the game, and Lance watched with interest as the character of the game discovered a vital clue. Then, he heard soft snores coming from beside him. He looked over, and saw that Keith had fallen asleep. His head was resting on one of the many pillows, with one hand propped under his pillow and the other resting on his stomach.

Lance blinked, not knowing how to react. After pondering over what his next action should be, he saved the game and turned off the laptop. If Keith wasn’t going to stay awake for the ending, he might as well wait until he was.

Lance carefully slipped off the bed and placed the laptop on his desk. Then he gently climbed back onto the mattress; he held his breath as it dipped beneath him, but Keith didn’t stir.

Lance was tempted to give into his whims, and let Keith sleep there for the night. It was cold, and it would be nice to have someone to cuddle with.

But…would it be ok? Lance bit his lip nervously and gazed down at Keith. His chest rose and fell, and it was comforting to hear his soft breaths in the normally dead-silent room.

Lance laid down and propped his head up with his hand, admiring how the light of the desk lamp reflected off Keith’s skin, giving it an almost ethereal glow. Lance’s heart didn’t feel like it was pounding wildly, instead, it felt like it was slowly burning. It ached, terribly so, for the man beside him.

Lance gave a forlorn sigh, and as gently as he could, he dragged his hand over and softly rested it on Keith’s. He squinted his eyes shut, as if in pain.

He was almost out of time; tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and it was the day that he would either confess to Keith, or lose him forever.

….No, Lance wouldn’t let that happen.

His hand tightened around Keith’s. He’s decided; at the party tomorrow, before Keith could have a chance to confess to anyone else, he’ll tell him how he feels. How he’s been in love with him since last year, or at least, that’s when he realized it. And maybe, just…maybe, after these last few days, Lance had managed to cement himself in a place in Keith’s heart, and his confession will be accepted.

Lance let out a shaky breath, and opened his eyes. He looked at Keith again, and gently brushed a strand of hair from his face. He didn’t know if this would be the last night he would have him, so it’ll be ok if he listens to his whims just this once.

As gently as possible, Lance pulled down the bed covers and brought them over Keith. Then he reached over and turned out the light. The room dissolved into darkness; the only light source being the window, outside of which the snow flurries were still falling.

Lance was still dressed in his day clothes, but he didn’t care. He slipped under the covers and huddled up to the warmth next to him. Keith made a small noise, but didn’t wake. He shifted in his sleep, and leaned into Lance, subconsciously seeking warmth as well. Lance curled up into Keith’s side and let his head rest next to Keith’s shoulder. His eyes slowly closed, and he was lulled to sleep by the sounds of the cats purring and Keith’s soft snores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was interesting. This chapter was...a bit difficult to write. I kept on have writer's block and couldn't figure out how to connect things together. So I'm sorry if it seemed a bit rushed at the end. Ok, I'm done making excuses. I'm really excited for the next chapter, and I hope I can find more ways to add holiday cuteness before a bit of angst shows up. Muahahahaha! Anyways, thank you all once again for your wonderful support! As always, review, or not, its your choice! See you next chapter! Have a very merry Christmas!!!


	4. Day 3 Pt 1: Christmas Cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is almost here y'all! And i'm so ready! I wrote this chapter the entire car ride up to see some family in a different state, so it got really long. That's why Day 3 is going to be updated in separate parts! I hope y'all are having a good holiday, and I hope you'll find this chapter amusing! Before we begin: disclaimer: I don't own anything, but what else is new. There we go, so now, on with the story!

* * *

 

His bed was warm and comfortable, and Lance really didn’t want to wake up. Unfortunately, his brain had other plans, and for no reason at all, he was ejected from sleep. Lance blinked with confusion, wondering why he was awake. His room was still dark, so it was probably still the middle of the night, or at least very early in the morning. He closed his eyes and snuggled deeper into the bed. Oh well, he could always just fall back asleep.  It would be pretty easy; right now his covers were cozy, and he was pressed against a really warm and soft pillow….

Lance’s eyes shot open. That wasn’t a pillow, it was a person. He tried to move away, but an arm was wrapped around his waist, and his legs were trapped between someone else’s, preventing him from going anywhere without waking the other person up. Lance stared at the person’s face, and as his vision adjusted, he saw that it Keith, and not some random person who snuck into his house. Immediately, he relaxed, and his heart slowed down to a normal rate.

Keith was breathing deeply, signaling that he was still asleep. As Lance shifted slightly, Keith’s grip tightened. He made a sleepy noise, and he rested his head above Lance’s, readjusting his grip in the process. His sleep-addled brain made Lance think that it would be a good idea to let himself become Keith’s personal teddy bear.

To get into a more comfortable position, Lance rested his arm around Keith’s waist. He pressed his face against the soft material of Keith’s shirt, and the calming scent of laundry detergent helped him relax.  He could tell that the temperature of the room had dropped over night, but the blankets created a cocoon of heat that kept them comfortable.

It was the most comfortable and secure Lance had felt in a long time. He sighed, and let his brain drift off once again into slumber. Not a single worry plagued his dreams that night.

* * *

Something furry brushed against his nose, bringing him out of his sleep. Lance rubbed at his face without opening his eyes. When he let his hand drop and his body relaxed, his nose was tickled again. He snorted and cracked his eyes open. He saw a grey blob, and then his vision sharpened after he rubbed his eyes. Blue was staring at him, and was swishing her tail impatiently back and forth.

Lance yawned and stretched his arms, enjoying the feeling of his joints and muscles warming up after hours of laying stationary.

“What is it Blue?” He asked through his yawn. “Is it breakfast time?” Blue meowed at him, and let her ears get scratched. Lance pet her a couple of times before rolling over on his back and stretching once more. He sat up, and noticed the side of his bed was empty; only a single flattened pillow remained to prove that Keith had previously lain there. Lance’s unease began to grow again as his day’s plans filled his mind.

This was it. This was the last day he had. After this, he wouldn’t get any more chances to strike up the nerve to confess to Keith. If he had a boyfriend or girlfriend, then what was the point of confessing? He sighed and scratched his head. Blue meowed at him again, sounding more impatient this time. Lance looked at her and smiled softly.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you girl?”

He slid off the bed and adjusted his rumpled clothes. He didn’t have to put on socks, he was already wearing fuzzy reindeer ones. He walked to the door and put his hand on the handle; he was tempted to skip making his bed today…but he had to continue on like normal. He sighed again, and turned around to make the bed before finally exiting the room. Blue trotted happily behind him as he entered the kitchen. Cat food was already in her bowl, so she happily began munching on her breakfast. Lance paused, and was surprised to see Keith in front of the stove, humming to himself as he flipped sizzling pieces of bacon in a frying pan. As he turned to grab another piece of bacon, Lance could see him smiling.

Keith looked like he was in a very good mood, and Lance was a bit confused why. It was Christmas Eve, so Lance just assumed that Keith was simply in the Christmas spirit. He felt something brush against his leg, and he looked down. Red was purring at him and rubbing her head against his ankles. She let him pick her up and she meowed as she nuzzled into his chin. Lance huffed and smiled at her.

“Someone else is in a good mood, it seems.” He muttered to her.

At his voice, Keith turned. He looked slightly startled, but then his shoulders relaxed and he waved his spatula in greeting.

“Morning. You slept late today.” He stated, and turned back to the bacon. Lance glanced at the time. It was about a quarter to nine, much later than he wanted. Lance frowned.

“It _is_ late. I thought I had my alarm on though…” He took his phone out of his pocket and checked to make sure nothing was wrong. Sure enough, the alarm was turned off. He turned to question Keith about it, but Keith spoke before he had a chance.

“Your alarm went off at the regular time, but you must’ve been sleeping pretty heavily. You didn’t wake up, so I, uh, turned it off for you.” He shrugged, slid two pieces of bacon off the spatula and onto a plate. He didn’t look up to meet Lance’s eye. “We’re not doing much today, so I thought it would be fine if you slept in a bit.”

Keith turned off the stove and grabbed the plate to bring it over to the table.  He set it down and wiped his hands on a towel. “We’ll need to start baking the cookies for tonight sometime soon. They’ll need time to cool down so we can decorate them.”

Lance swiped a piece of bacon and munched on it before replying.

“We can get started after we eat. As for the decorating, I managed to pick up some new cookie-cutters and red and green icing a few days ago.”

“That’ll be perfect.” Keith said as he grabbed the milk out of the fridge.

Two pieces of toast then popped out of the toaster, scaring Lance half-to-death and forcing a chuckle out of Keith. Lance pouted, and he left Keith to butter the toast while he took out the cereal. He poured two bowls of Cheerios and set them on the table next to their matching Mickey-Mouse mugs. Hunk had gotten the mugs for them during his visit to Florida, and they’ve become Lance’s favorite.

Lance sat down, and Keith set the plate of toast on the table before sitting down as well. Christmas music was once again flowing through the speakers of their television, but Keith wasn’t humming along with it anymore. Lance watched him with interest, not really understanding why Keith looked so jumpy and nervous now. He thought he had been in a good mood because of Christmas earlier, but now his behavior was just plain confusing.

“So…uh, how’re you? Anything going on?” He asked, trying to sound casual. Keith raised an eyebrow as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

“Huh? I’m fine, why do you ask?” He barely glanced up at Lance before quickly looking back down at his food. “I’m just…excited for tonight.”

Ah, there it was. The answer Lance was looking for and dreading. Keith was concerned about confessing to his crush, which means he’s still caught up over that person. Lance jabbed his spoon a bit harder than necessary into his cereal. Was this person _that_ special to him? Does this mean that Lance will never even be _considered_ by Keith?

The fear Lance had been holding back for the last few days was bubbling up again, and this time, it was like acid, eating away at everything it touched in Lance’s mind. Lance barely even bothered to chew his food as he roughly swallowed it. It scratched and irritated his throat as it went down, but he had other matters to be concerned about.

Would his actions today even matter? Lance could try to woo Keith all he wanted, but it would be for nothing if Keith was really that infatuated with someone else.

Keith seemed to notice his silence, and he stopped his mug before he took a sip.

“Hey, are _you_ ok?” He asked, obviously concerned. Lance flinched so violently that he nearly dropped his spoon. He laughed to deflect Keith’s concern and leaned back in his chair.

“I’m perfectly fine! It’s nearly Christmas, and I’m ready to start partying!” He cheered, and let his chair fall back on all four legs. Keith relaxed and he grinned while swirling the coffee in his mug.

“Of course you are. Just don’t get drunk tonight; you don’t want to be hungover on Christmas morning.” He warned, and took a sip of coffee. Lance scoffed and flapped his hand at him.

“Please, I take Christmas very seriously! There’s no way I would be that careless!” He picked up his bowl and mug and stood up. He smirked at Keith once he was a safe distance away. “Besides, I think _I_ should be the one warning _you_ not to drink. Does last Halloween ring any bells?”

Keith turned red.

“F-For the last time, I didn’t know that the punch had alcohol in it!” He sputtered, and Lance snickered.

“Hunk warned us about the punch when he made it! He even made a batch for those who preferred not to drink alcohol!” Lance teased.

Scowling, Keith grabbed his bowl and mug and strode to the kitchen. He bumped his hip hard against Lance’s as he passed. Lance laughed, and Keith snorted at him.

After they put their dishes in the sink, Lance began to wash them while Keith dried. Lance looked at Keith out of the corner of his eye, and grinned mischievously. As the water ran over his hands, he lifted up his fingers and flicked water at Keith. He looked away as quickly as he could and pretended to be occupied with washing a particularly stubborn spec on one of the plates.

He knew Keith wouldn’t be fooled though, and his thoughts were confirmed when Keith whacked him with the towel. After several minutes of flicking water and whipping towels, they finally had a cupboard filled with clean dishes once more.

Keith wiped his hands on the towel, and walked over to the pantry and took out flour, sugar, and other miscellaneous ingredients.

“We might as well start on the cookies.” Keith said as he set all the ingredients on the counter. He pointed at the lower cupboards and asked, “Can you get the bowls and spoons please?” Lance threw him a salute.

“Aye aye, captain!” He tossed open the cupboard doors and fetched the tools needed to mix the cookie batter. He set them on the counter next to Keith. “Ok, what next? You’re the baker extraordinaire here; I’m just following orders.”

Keith scrolled through his phone until he found the recipe he was looking for. He balanced his phone on a tin in front of him, and then handed Lance measuring cups.

“Alright, you make one bowl of dough, and I’ll make the other. We’ll need a lot of cookies for tonight. I’ll tell you the ingredients as we go.” He instructed, and they began the tedious work of making cookies from scratch.

As ingredients were added to the bowls and were mixed together, Lance began his efforts to seduce Keith once more.

By making terrible puns at every opportunity.

“Hey… Keith. Hey Keith.”

Keith looked over at him, in the middle of measuring out vegetable oil. Lance held up the eggs he was currently using.

“This is egg-citing, isn’t it?”

Keith gave him a deadpan stare, and Lance smirked.

“What’s with that fowl look? I thought that was a pretty good yolk. I’m really cracking up over here.”

Keith looked away, refusing to acknowledge the painful jokes his friend was making. Lance’s grin became shit-eating and he scooched closer to Keith.

“Keith. C’mon Keith. Are you egg-noring me?” He lightly poked Keith in the side. “Don’t be so…hard boiled.”

“Lance I swear to god-”

“Ok, ok. I’m done.” He held up his hands in surrender and inched back to his spot at the counter. A few more minutes passed, and Lance broke the silence once again.

“Keith.”

“What is it?” Keith sighed and looked over. Lance gave him a wide grin, and held up the bag of flour.

“… I got you a flour.”

“Enough with the puns!” Keith groaned, and Lance would’ve taken him seriously, if it weren’t for Keith visibly trying to hold back his laughter. He was attempting to scowl, but his lips kept on twitching into a smile. Lance decided to give him mercy and relented, and Keith sighed once again and went back to mixing the batter. Another minute passed.

“Keith.”

“ _What_?”

Lance held up the whisk he was holding.

“I know you don’t like my puns, but I might as well whisk it and tell them anyway!”

Keith stared him dead in the eyes, then reached over to grab an egg, and cracked it over Lance’s head. He smirked, as Lance stared at him, dumbfounded, as the whites and yolk dripped down his face.

“Looks like the egg is on your face now, isn’t it?”

Slowly, a smile grew on Lance’s face. Then he grabbed a handful of flour, and blew it onto Keith. He flinched back and blinked, his face completely covered in flour and white speckled his hair. They stared at each other challengingly. Then, without breaking eye contact, they each reached for a bowl of flour.

About five minutes later, the kitchen was a disaster zone. Flour and egg covered the floor and countertops, the vegetable oil was spilled several times, and the previously clean dishes now needed a good wash due to the fact that they had been used as shields.

Keith and Lance were in a similar state. They were covered from head to toe in flour and egg; they looked like poorly-made doughboys. Lance laughed and coughed at the same time as he accidentally breathed in flour.  Keith was laughing so hard he snorted, which made the two laugh harder.

From her spot on her cat tower, Red gave the state of the two a look of disapproval.

Why were humans so messy, she wondered? It wasn’t like they could bathe with their tongues, like she and Blue do. She’s asked her human that before, but he didn’t understand her, as usual. It was irritating that humans couldn’t understand cat language.

Her tail swayed slowly over the edge of the tower and she watched as her human grabbed the sink’s faucet and sprayed Blue’s human with water. They were playing and yelling like a bunch of kits.

Red sighed to herself. Kits were so messy; she was glad that she and Blue couldn’t have any. As if her mate could sense her thoughts, Blue leapt onto the tower and curled around her.

“They’re certainly lively today, aren’t they?” Blue mused as she began to groom Red’s ears. Red made a noise of agreement.

“Ever since Keith woke up this morning, I could smell the anxiety on him. It’s because he’s nervous about tonight; it’s made him jumpy and excitable, so this is good to get his energy out and help him calm down. If only it wasn’t making such a mess….” She said, watching as Blue’s human grabbed hers and noogied his hair. Blue flicked her tail in amusement.

“Hmph, I don’t see why he should be nervous. It’s not like there’s anything to worry about.”

Red nodded slowly in agreement.

“You’re right of course, but Keith is not the smartest kit. Neither is Lance, for that matter.”

Blue chuckled at her mate’s words.

“All the same, those two are being quite silly, aren’t they?” She stated plainly. Red turned and licked Blue’s ear.

“Indeed. If only Keith talked to Lance this morning, instead of petting his hair while he was asleep. Then things would be less difficult for everyone.” Red sighed again.

Both cats perked up at the sound of cookie sheets being slid into the oven, and then relaxed. Blue stood and stretched.

“Well, they are only kits, so they don’t do the smartest things. Things will work out in the end though, they always do.” Blue said, and then hopped off the cat tower. She glanced up at her mate and wiggled her rump playfully. “Want to leave these two alone for a while and go play with our mouse toy? Lance just refilled it with catnip~.”

Red grinned and leapt off the tower to stand by Blue.

“You know certainly know how to seduce a girl, don’t you?” She chuckled and affectionately rubbed against Blue’s side. Blue purred.

“Only when it’s with you, beautiful.”

The cats trotted off to go find their toy, leaving Lance and Keith to their job of cleaning the kitchen.

Lance swept his sticky bangs out of his face as he scrubbed the counters. Keith was currently mopping the floor, and Lance had to move out of the way occasionally for Keith to reach the floor beneath him. Everything was a mess, but at least the cookies smelt delicious while they baked in the oven.

“Well, this wasn’t the smartest idea.” Keith muttered, and he sneezed again as flour tickled his nose. He had managed to wipe most of it off his face, but he still had large smudges on his cheeks and forehead. Lance shrugged, and finished scrubbing dried egg from the counter.

“Maybe so, but at least it wasn’t boring!” He grinned, happy that everything turned out so well.

He checked the time, and let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness, we’ll have enough time to decorate the cookies.” He spoke his thoughts aloud as he wiped off the handles of the drawers. Keith nodded along with his words. He straightened and wiped his brow, finally finished with mopping the floor.

“I’m just glad I’ll have enough time to take a shower to get this gunk off of me.” He scratched at the flour in his air. “This is gunna be hell to get out.” He mumbled, and glanced at Lance’s hair. “But I think you’ll have a worse time.” He grinned and Lance narrowed his eyes.

“And whose fault is that?” Lance asked, trying to sound grumpy. Keith shrugged and put the mop away. Lance looked at the icing and the other materials that would be used to decorate the cookies.

“Do I want to take a shower now, or wait until after we ice the cookies?” He mused to himself out loud. “I’ll just get messy with icing later, so taking one now will be a bit pointless…But I don’t want this stuff to sit in my hair for too long.”

Keith walked out of the kitchen.

“Sounds like a personal problem.” He called out to Lance, and he disappeared into the hallway.

Lance huffed, and finally decided to take a quick shower to rinse himself off before icing the cookies. The cookies would take a while to cool anyway, so he had time. He scrolled through his phone as he waited, listening to the shower running as Keith washed off. Finally, the water turned off, and Keith stepped shortly afterwards into the living room, still drying off his hair.

“Your turn.” He said, and sat on the couch to play on his phone.

Lance jumped into the shower as fast as possible; he really didn’t like the feeling of egg and flour in his hair. He didn’t shampoo and condition his hair just yet; he’ll wait until after he decorates the cookies. After a few minutes of hot water streaming down him, he finally felt clean enough to get out and pull on a t-shirt and basketball shorts. It was a bit chilly, but if he was just going to get dirty again, he didn’t see the point of putting on another Christmas sweater and jeans.

The cookies were done by the time he got out, and Keith had already taken them out of the oven and laid them on the stove to cool.

While waiting for the cookies, Lance put the Charlie Brown Christmas Special in their PS4. He lounged next to Keith as they watched it, and they quoted the lines along with the characters as the video played. The special was long enough for the cookies to fully cool and harden by the end of it; now they were the perfect consistency for decorating. The credits on the Christmas special rolled, and Lance turned it back to their regular Christmas music before walking over to the cookies.

They had several trays filled with little gingerbread men and Christmas trees. The trees looked a bit bloated and squashed, but other than that, the cookies came out fine.

He moved one tray to the countertop and grabbed a small icing bag; he handed the other to Keith. As Lance looked for a cookie to decorate first, and picked up a gingerbread man whose head had fallen off.

“This one’s gunna need surgery.” He stated, and laid it on the parchment paper in front of him. He found the cookie’s head, and then he carefully ran icing over the edge of the cookie’s neck. “Lucky for him, I’m an expert surgeon.” Lance muttered. Then he held up both pieces and slowly put them together. The head stuck for a second, and then fell off and plopped onto the floor. Lance stared at it. “…Huh.”

Keith laughed at him, and then reached over to break the arm off the gingerbread man before popping it into his mouth. Lance gasped.

“ _Keith_! You just ate the patient!”

“And he was delicious.” Keith licked his lips, and tried to grab another piece of the broken cookie. Lance held it out of his reach.

“You can’t do that! What am I going to tell Mr. Cookie’s family now, huh? That he died tragically by being eaten by the nurse?” He chided. Keith bent down and picked the cookie’s head off the floor.

“We don’t have to tell them anything; they’ll be eaten too, soon enough.” Keith unceremoniously dumped the cookie’s head in the trash bin. Lance stared at him in mock horror.

“You monster! How can you sleep at night, eating innocent cookie civilians?”

Keith gave Lance a toothy grin.

“Pretty well, actually. And if you say anything to the police, I’m eating you next.” He threatened, but Lance put his hand to his heart and fluttered his eyelashes.

“Why, Keith! Take a boy to dinner first before making such bold claims!”

Keith choked on his own breath. He coughed and laughed at the same time.

“L-Lance.” He managed to rasp. “Get your mind out of the gutter.” Lance crossed his arms defiantly.

“Bitch, my mind _lives_ in the gutter!”

Keith cleared his throat one last time before answering.

“I know, I visit there often.”

They shared a chuckle, and turned back to the cookies. Lance snapped the broken cookie in half and shared it with Keith before they continued to decorate the others.

Lance used the icing bag to give the cookies faces and little clothes, and then added sprinkles to make either buttons or glittery suits for the cookies. Lance heard Keith giggling as he decorated one of his cookies. He looked over with curiosity, and Keith held out the cookie in his hand.

“Check it out.” He said, and Lance looked at it.

“…Is that Goku?”

“Yup.”

“Awesome!”

Keith beamed as Lance looked the cookie in awe.

Most of the cookies were soon decorated, and were almost ready to be put in tupperware containers. Lance had icing speckled on his face and arms; he was once again in need of a shower. He was finishing decorating his last cookie when Keith caught his attention. He looked up, and suddenly icing was wiped onto his nose.

He stared at it, cross-eyed, while Keith snickered. Lance met his eye, and held up his icing bag threateningly while smirking.

“If you wanna go again, I’m prepared to fight!”

Keith quickly held up his hands, laughing as he surrendered. Lance made a pleased noise, and promptly put a dot of icing on Keith’s nose before turning back to decorating.

One fully finished, the cookies were left on the trays so the icing could dry, and Lance glanced at the time again.

“We should start getting ready. I’m going to take another shower and wash my hair this time.” He said, and finished wiping down the counter. Keith nodded, and they both disappeared into their own rooms.

Lance promptly hopped into the shower again, and the icing and sprinkles were washed off with hot water.

He sang softly to himself as he washed, even dancing slightly with the song. When it came time for him to wash his hair, he paused. For a second, he was tempted to use Keith’s shampoo. He always loved the smell, and will forever associate the scent ‘Woodland Stream’ with Keith’s fluffy, raven locks. Lance’s hand hovered over the bottle, but then decided against it, and grabbed his own shampoo. He liked it, but his own ‘Sunflower Kiss’ shampoo will never compare to Keith’s. Even though Keith himself said otherwise whenever the matter was brought up.

He scrubbed the shampoo into his hair, rinsed it out, and then added the conditioner. Finally, when everything was rinsed off, he felt alive and clean again. He pulled back the curtain and stepped out into the freezing air. His skin broke out into goosebumps, and he quickly dried off. Lance looked to the counter, and face-palmed. He forgot to bring his clothes.

Slightly disgruntled, he wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped into the hallway. He shivered and quickly padded over to his room. He rummaged through his closet and pulled out the clothes he wanted. He grabbed a black sweater with a big penguin with googly eyes on the front, and his favorite jeans.

Lance pulled on his clothes, and the more he was alone with his thoughts, the more his good mood vanished.

The party was in an hour, and the nervousness that Lance had been holding back all day returned. He was out of time, and now the moment had arrived.

Lance took a deep breath, and slowly let it out, trying to calm himself. He adjusted his sweater and grabbed his hairbrush.

Everything was going to be fine. It had to be. Lance wouldn’t be able to handle it if it wasn’t. He finally brought himself out of his thoughts, and actually looked at himself in the mirror. His face looked white with nerves, and his hands shook a little. Lance took in another breath through his nose, and let it out of his mouth slowly.

A soft meow sounded beneath him, and he bent down to pet Blue. His cat purred and rubbed her head against his hand. Her presence comforted him, and it eased his pounding heart. Lance let out another breath, and stood up. He felt steadier now, but his face still looked a bit white. Blue purred at him again, and pulled a small smile from Lance.

‘…Ok, you can do this.’ Lance thought to himself encouragingly. ‘Just go to the party, hang out, then pull Keith aside and tell him how you feel, simple as that!’

Encouraging himself, he ran the brush through his hair and styled it to the side. After he set the brush down, he reached over and grabbed his cologne. He wanted to smell a bit classy for the night. He sprayed it on, being careful not to overdo it. Then, after buckling his watch around his left wrist, he slipped his feet into his boots.

He grabbed the door handle, took a deep breath, and stepped into the hallway. Red and Blue were already fed, and Keith was waiting on the couch. He looked slightly nervous himself, and was holding Red in his arms. Lance knew why Keith looked the way he did, and tried not to let it bother him. He pretended not to notice Keith’s fidgeting.

“You ready?” He asked. Keith nodded and let Red climb down from his arms.

“Yeah, let’s go before the snow hits.” He stood, and helped Lance put all the tupperwares full of cookies in a big Christmas bag.

Lance gave the cats a pat for good luck, and they exited the apartment. His keys jangled as he locked the door behind him, and he and Keith headed toward the elevator. A strong wind blew back their hair as they walked outside. Above them, apartment lights glowed, revealing how many people decided to stay in on Christmas Eve. He entered his car, and Keith got into the passenger seat. The car rumbled to life as Lance turned the key.  

The car slowly rolled out of the parking lot, and onto the main road. As he drove, Lance tried to not get distracted by the man next to him. Keith always looked amazing, but now that he was all dressed up in a cute sweater and looking so festive, it was hard to keep his eyes off of him.

Lance wet his lips, and focused on the road in front of him. He was thankful that there wasn’t much ice, but he would still be careful.

They reached the clubhouse where the party was being held, and Lance parked and turned the car off. He looked over and stared at the building. Christmas lights were hanging on every tree and bush, and the windows glowed warmly.

The curtains hid the inside from view, but he could see shadows of people talking and laughing. He gulped, opened the car door, and got out; ready for what could be the last night he had with Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I friggin love gingerbread cookies, but I can't bake to save my life. At least these two dorks can, well, kind of. This was pretty fun to write, but I can't wait until I update the next part! I have big plans, and hopefully they'll meet y'all's expectations! Thank you for all of your support, once again! Y'all are amazing, and I'll see everyone soon! Remember, review, or not, it's your choice! Buh-bye, and Merry Christmas!


	5. Day 3 Pt. 2: Christmas Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'm a day late by about twenty minutes, but it's done! I've finally finished the second part of Day 3! There's one more chapter after this, but it's an Epilogue, so I probably won't update until a day or two. Anyways, I'm excited to show y'all this chapter! I hope you like it! Before we go ahead, we need to do the disclaimer. I don't own anything, even though I wish I got the rights to many shows and books for Christmas. I'd be rich if that were the case. Oh well, I'm thankful for my life, and I'm happy to be here with all of you, sharing my little story! Alright, here we go, on with the story!

* * *

 

Lance stared up at the glowing clubhouse and felt a bead of nervous sweat run down the back of his neck, even though it was well below twenty degrees outside. He gripped the bag he was holding tighter, and followed behind Keith as they walked through the parking lot. Snow crunched under their feet until they reached the shoveled sidewalk. As hesitant as Lance was feeling, he was eager to get out of the cold, and they quickly entered the building.  

They walked into the entry way, and the sounds of the party surrounded them. People were walking from one room to another, chatting, laughing, and holding plates and cups filled with refreshments. Christmas music was being blasted through the speakers on the walls, and lights and tinsel were hung literally everywhere. Lance and Keith waved at the people they knew as they shrugged off their coats and hung them up in the designated area.

They entered the mass of people, and Keith was lost to Lance’s view. Lance looked for Keith’s familiar mullet as he weaved around people, and he soon found him standing by the windows, talking to a few of his friends from class. Lance stared at him, and swallowed to wet his sudden dry throat. He was tempted to follow Keith around, and make sure he didn’t confess before Lance could, but eventually decided against it. He didn’t want to be a creep, and Keith deserved time away from him, after seeing no one but Lance over the last three days. That…and Lance wasn’t quite ready to try to confess yet. Even after all that time he took preparing, something still held him back.

Lance turned away, and headed toward the kitchen area, where all the food was at. He needed to drop off the cookies before he did anything else. He skirted around people, some already drunk, and stepped onto the tile floor in front of the counters. He deposited the cookies on a snowflake platter, and was pouring himself a glass of nonalcoholic punch when someone called out to him. He turned and, when he saw who it was, grinned.

“Hey, man! Merry Christmas!” Lance exclaimed, and gave his friend a one-armed hug. The man, Rolo, was in his literature class, and they often helped each other with assignments. Rolo laughed, and by his pink face and cup in hand, Lance assumed he was a bit tipsy.

“Lance, muh dude! Happy holidays and whatever!” Rolo clapped his hand on Lance’s shoulder. “How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since finals!” Lance grinned.

“Well, after finals ended, I’ve been living! No homework, no classes, only Christmas! Well, that and work. But I got off a few days ago for the break.” He replied. Rolo took another sip of his punch and laughed.

“Cool, cool. I just got off work yesterday! The cheap bastards at the shop don’t give us long breaks, and man, do I wish they did.” Rolo shrugged and snatched a little cupcake from a festive platter on the counter. “But it pays the bills at least. And I was able to get Nyma a good present this year!”

Lance nodded.

“That’s awesome! Speaking of Nyma, where is she?”

“Right here, sweet cheeks.”

A tall blond woman slid up behind Rolo and gave him a peck on the lips. She then turned to Lance and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. “Merry Christmas! Man, have the holidays been busy!”

Nyma worked in the same department store as Keith, so Lance knew perfectly well how busy it’s been for her. He nodded sympathetically.

“I bet. Keith’s told me about how hectic it’s been for you guys.”

Nyma snorted at this and grabbed one of the cookies that Lance had brought.

“I bet he did. I don’t blame him though; if I had you, you’d bet your ass I would come crying to you for support and cuddles every day.”

Lance turned red, but Rolo laughed boisterously.

“What’s this? Are you thinking of leaving me?” Rolo wrapped his arm around Nyma’s hips and waggled his eyebrows. “I don’t think I’ll you.”

Nyma laughed and lightly patted his cheek with her hand.

“Oh puh-lease! You know that I’d never do that! Besides, even if I did, we both agreed that it would be fine if it was for Lance, remember?”

Lance scoffed in amusement, and Rolo chuckled.

“Good point, chickadee.” Rolo said, and kissed Nyma on the cheek. “Unfortunately, we’ll never get a chance. Keith’s already snatched him up.” He and Nyma laughed, and Lance’s blush deepened.

“He hasn’t done anything of the sort!” He cried in defense. His friends suddenly stared at him in disbelief.

“What? You mean…you two broke up?” Nyma sounded like she just had a huge shock. Rolo was blinking at him, mouth gaping. Lance furrowed his eyebrows.

“We’ve never even dated! He’s…he’s just a friend...” Lance said, whispering at the end. Nyma was still staring at him.

“What the hell.” She whispered, and then yelled. “ _What the hell_?! How the fuck do you expect me to believe that you two aren’t-“ She made an obscene gesture with both hands, and Lance wanted to die from embarrassment.

“Nyma!” He hissed, looking around to make sure Keith wasn’t close by. Rolo finally broke out of the stupor he was in.

“Dude! Everyone in our class thought you two were dating! Hell, the whole school probably thinks that!” He waved his hands around. “You two are the mushiest, grossest, totally infatuated couple I’ve ever met! Why, in the good name of all things mighty, aren’t you dating?!”

Lance didn’t know what to say. He opened and closed his mouth, making odd croaking sounds as he tried to pick the pieces of his brain up.

“I-I-He-We’ve been friends since we were kids! I didn’t confess to him because…because I didn’t want to scare him off. I thought it was obvious that he wasn’t interested in me…” He trailed off as Nyma looked like she was about to have an aneurism.

“Lance.” She said, voice steady after taking several breaths to calm herself. “I work with Keith. He fawns over you –oh yes he does!” She cut Lance off before he could object. “And the way he talks about you is like…you hung the fucking stars in the sky or something! It’s all ‘Lance this’ or ‘Lance that’ and like, ‘Oh I wanna get a piece o’ that hot, plump, Lance _ass_ ’!”

Lance covered her mouth before she could say anything else. He was pretty sure he was going to combust with how horrfied he felt right now.

“N-Nyma, _please_.” He pleaded. “Keith wouldn’t ever say those things!”

“Maybe not with those _exact_ words, but she’s right!” Rolo cut in, wrapping his arm around Lance’s shoulder. “Keith’s totally into you, bro! You just need to stop whimpin’ out and go talk to him about it!”

Lance shook Rolo’s arm from his shoulder.

“You don’t understand!” Lance grit his teeth. “Keith’s confessing to someone tonight! Someone who’s not me!” 

Nyma and Rolo were once again stunned into silence.

“Are…are you sure?” Nyma began, now looking incredibly confused.

“Yes!” Lance practically hissed. “I overheard him myself! He was talking to his brother over the phone, and told him he would confess to someone at this party!”

Nyma’s frown slowly turned back into a smile.

“Lance, Lance, Lance. My baby, my son, my little sugar plum schnoocums. Keith was obviously talking about _you_!” She poked him in the chest, and Lance’s frown deepened.

“That’s…he didn’t even say the name of whoever he was talking about! If he meant me, why wouldn’t he just say it?”

Rolo swirled the drink in his cup.

“You must’ve just caught him at a bad time. He’s probably looking for you right now, ready to sweep you off your feet.” He refilled his cup with the alcoholic punch. Lance thought for a moment in silence, and then slowly shook his head.

“No. No, there’s no way! He can’t possibly…after all this time…I would’ve noticed something!”

Nyma sighed and rubbed her temples.

“If you still have doubts, just go and _talk to him_ , dammit! All this pining is cute and all, but it’s starting to get unbearable.”

Lance glared at her.

“Fine! Maybe I will!”

Nyma crossed her arms challengingly.

“Good! It’s about time you showed some nerve!” She declared. At her words, Lance straightened and looked into the crowd in the adjacent room.

“I’ll do it! I’m going to talk to him right now! And finally do what I’ve wanted to do for a long time: confess that I love him!”

Nyma muttered ‘Finally!’, and Rolo clapped him on the back.

Lance began to shake again at the thought of what he was about to do. He whirled around and grabbed a huge cup from the table, filled it with alcoholic punch, and drained it in one go. A few people around him cheered at this, but Nyma and Rolo just stared with surprise.

Lance set the cup heavily on the table with a loud ‘clunk’. Without saying goodbye, he brushed passed them and began pushing his way through the crowd of people. He could already feel the buzz of alcohol in the back of his brain, giving him the confidence that would aid him in his task.

He muttered ‘excuse me’ as he weaved between people. Everyone was in colorful and festive sweaters and Christmas outfits, but he couldn’t locate Keith’s reindeer sweater out of the rest. He stood on his tiptoes, and looked around, trying to find the familiar mullet he’s come to love.

“Keith!” He finally shouted over the growing din of the party. He got no reply, only a few strange looks. He continued shouting the name as he made his way around the clubhouse. Still no Keith. His worry was growing into full-blown panic. He made it to a small corner of the room, by the fireplace. He opened his mouth to call one more time, when his voice caught in his throat.

Keith was standing under the mistletoe with a girl. Lance thought he recognized her from one of Keith’s classes, but his brain couldn’t comprehend anything other than ‘Keith under the mistletoe with someone who wasn’t Lance’. His gut felt like someone had kicked it, and he literally felt his breath escape him. Keith was pink-faced and smiling while talking to the girl. Suddenly, he laughed, and Lance felt half his heart get torn to shreds. Then, Keith leaned in, and gave the girl a quick kiss on the lips. The other half of Lance’s heart was ripped into tiny, lonely, broken pieces.

Keith and the girl laughed again, and she reached over to grab Keith’s hand. Lance felt every ounce of confidence leave him, and his shaking returned at full force. He couldn’t stand to keep looking at them, so he turned away. His legs began to walk, leading him away from the sight he just saw, away from the party, away from Keith. He left the pieces of his heart on the clubhouse floor.

He may have heard Rolo and Nyma calling for him, but he wasn’t positive; everything seemed strangely muffled. Besides, he didn’t want to be near anyone at the moment. All he wanted was to go home. He grabbed his jacket from the area by the front door, and stepped out into the snow.

He pulled his jacket tighter around himself as the wind swirled around him. His hands brushed against the keys in his pocket. He looked down and then up at the car. If he left with the car now…how would Keith get home?

Lance snorted. Keith’s new girlfriend would gladly give him a ride. Probably back to her place. Lance gave an empty laugh, and then walked passed his car and to the sidewalk. Even if Keith had a ride, Lance didn’t want to abandon him without a for-sure way to get home. No matter how bitter he may feel, he wasn’t cruel.

Lance stared down the sidewalk, and in the direction of their… _his_ apartment. It wasn’t snowing very hard, but the temperature was slowly dropping. Lance frowned, and made up his mind. He crossed his arms over his chest in effort to stay warm, and began to walk. An occasional gust of wind cause him to stumble, but he kept going.

The peace of the night was lost upon him, and he was helpless against his own thoughts. The image of Keith kissing the girl replayed over and over in his head. Then, his conversation with Nyma and Rolo played over the image.

_‘..the way he talks about you is like…you hung the fucking stars in the sky or something!’_

Nyma’s echoed in his head. He let out a trembling chuckle and kept walking.

_‘You two are the mushiest, grossest, totally infatuated couple I’ve ever met!’_

Lance winced as Rolo’s words joined Nyma’s. He paused and sniffled; the back of his throat burned as his eyes grew wet.

_‘Keith was obviously talking about you!’_

A drop of water hit the snow. Then another, and another.

Lance was hunched over and shaking, as big ugly tears ran down his face. A sob escaped his lips, and the wind caused him to stumble, making him trip into a snow bank. Snow soaked into his pants and stung his hands. Gritting his teeth, Lance slowly stood up. He nose became inflamed as he scrubbed it in the frigid air. His tears felt hot, but they immediately grew cold as they ran down his red cheeks.

As the image of Keith and the girl appeared again, he thought the threads of envy would try to creep around his heart, but instead, all he felt was loss. He lost Keith, and he would never get him back. They would still physically see each other, of course, but their dynamic will be permanently damaged. The hugs, the cuddles on the couch, their touchy-feely relationship; it can no longer continue. Not while Lance knows that he will never have a chance at being anything more than Keith’s friend.

More tears flowed from his eyes and dripped to his chin. Keith had filled his heart so much, but now that he’s gone, his heart has become stretched and deflated. Lance gave a miserable chuckle. It was ironic; he loved cliché things, and now his life has become a cliché tragedy. The thought made him sob again.

His tears blurred his vision, but he could make out the shaky lights from apartment windows. He scrubbed at his eyes, and looked up. In front of him stood his apartment building, looming tall like a building of solace. Sniffing, Lance opened the door and entered. The warmth was a blessing on his freezing skin. There was no one in sight, and for once, he was grateful to be completely alone.

The elevator dinged sadly, and Lance stepped onto his floor. His apartment door slowly swung open, and he was greeted by darkness. Lance stared into the nothingness for a minute, and then flipped the light on.

Blue and Red seemed to sense something was wrong, so they crowded around him, meowing and rubbing at his legs in a comforting manner. Lance let his jacket drop, and he fell to his knees to scoop the cats into his arms.

He sobbed loudly; holding onto the cats like a lifeline. They mewed softly, and licked at the tears that trailed down his cheeks.

Lance’s shaking finally receded after a few minutes, and his sobs died down into quiet sniffles. Finally, he let go of the cats, and rubbed a sleeve across his eyes. His hand then dropped into his lap, and he looked at the cats sadly.

“What am I going to do?” He murmured in a hoarse voice. The cats didn’t give him an answer, they could only curl around him and purr comfortingly. Lance scratched behind their ears, and stood. His coat was hung in the closet, and his shoes were kicked off. He shuffled to his room and grabbed his pajamas and the fuzziest pair of socks he had. The bathroom door was soon locked behind him, and the hot water was turned on at full blast.

Lance looked at himself in the mirror as steam began to accumulate in the room. His eyes were red with crying, and his nose was irritated. There were two bright red spots on his cheeks, but his lips were slightly blue. The rest of his face was pure white.

Red, white, and blue: how hilarious. Lance laughed, and he was startled by the sound. Steam covered the mirror, and his reflection was hidden.

He pulled off his clothes and stepped under the water. It burned his freezing skin, and he hissed. As the water ran down him, he rubbed at his arms, fingers, and toes to coax the feeling back into them. He was relieved when the feeling in his body slowly turned back to normal.

He stayed in there for another thirty minutes, not washing or using his shampoo. Lance rested his head against the tile and let the water warm him, hoping that it’ll help mend his fractured self-control.

After the forty minute mark, he was contemplating on getting out. His hand hovered over the shower handle when he heard the door to the apartment practically slam open.

“ _Lance!_ ”

Keith’s yell was easily heard through the bathroom door and over the noise of the shower.

“ _Holy fucking shit_ , Lance! Are you here?” He sounded desperate, so Lance decided to answer. But he didn’t have the strength in him to reply like nothing was wrong.

“Yeah, just…in the shower.” He called out, just barely loud enough to be heard through the bathroom door. Pounding footsteps grew louder as Keith apparently ran to the door. 

“ _Lance_! Oh my god! What the _fuck_ were you thinking? Walking home in this weather?! You could have _died_! Oh my god.”

A thump was heard, which Lance could only assume as Keith’s head hitting the door. A microscopic fraction of Lance’s shattered heart beat at the thought of Keith being so worried about him. It was immediately replaced by embarrassment, and then indignity. It _was_ a stupid thing for him to do, but it wasn’t like he was in danger! The walk wasn’t far, and the weather was fine.

“Keith,” his voice was low and serious, but he knew Keith could hear him, “You’re exaggerating. I wouldn’t have died. I barely got a bit chilly.”

“ _Ugh_.” Keith groaned, sounding very shaken. “Ok, maybe you wouldn’t have died, but you could’ve gotten hurt! Why on earth did you do that? And why not take the car if you wanted to leave the party so early? Or better yet, why didn’t you just _tell me_ you wanted to leave?! We could’ve gone home together, and I wouldn’t have been _scared to death that you just up and vanished_!”

Lance sighed, and felt tears welling up again, now out of frustration more than anything.

“Keith, can we just…talk about this later?”

Keith fell silent, and Lance thought he had left, until he spoke.

“…Will after you get out of the shower be ok?” He asked quietly, making Lance strain to hear. Lance thought about it, and then nodded slowly, even though he knew Keith couldn’t see him.

“That’s fine. Be out in a bit, ok?”

“…Ok.” Keith mumbled.

Lance heard muffled footsteps shuffle away. He let out a long sigh, and let his head rest on the tile once again.

Now what was he going to do? He didn’t want to tell the truth, but he really didn’t want to lie either. He tried, but failed to get an answer for his dilemma. Lance stayed in the same position for ten more minutes before finally moving. He turned off the water and stepped out onto the shower mat.

He pulled on his fluffy cotton Christmas pajama top and a pair of boxer shorts. The fuzzy socks were slipped onto his feet, and his toes were grateful for the cover. Lance went through his skincare routine as slowly as possible, to delay the inevitable. When he had nothing left to do, he opened the door and reluctantly stepped out. The air was significantly chillier out in the hallway than in the bathroom, so Lance went to his room, dropped his towel and dirty laundry, and wrapped his favorite blanket around his shoulders. He took a deep breath, and then walked to the living room.

Keith had already changed into his holiday sleepwear and was waiting for him. He was standing on the edge of the kitchen, looking anxious and shifting from foot to foot. When Lance entered, he glanced up. He immediately relaxed when he saw that Lance was, for the most part, alright. He was holding a mug of hot chocolate in each hand, and held one out to Lance.

The hot chocolate was prepared exactly how Lance liked it, with mini marshmallows bobbing in the liquid and covered in plenty of whipped cream. Lance took it hesitantly, and when Keith smiled gently at him, he smiled, a bit sadly, back.

He let Keith lead him towards the couch, and they sat down. The television was turned on to a looping video of a cozy fireplace; the sound of the fire crackling and popping flowed softly through the speakers. The lights in the room were turned off, leaving only the television and the Christmas tree to light the room.

The atmosphere was calming, and Lance felt himself beginning to relax.

He curled up against one of the holiday pillows and took a sip of hot chocolate. Keith must’ve used milk instead of water to make it, because it was smooth and creamy. It sat pleasantly in his stomach, and warmed him from the inside.

Keith sat slowly next to him, and brought his own blanket around his and Lance’s shoulders. They sat in silence, opting to watch the fake fire on the television screen. Blue and Red curled up on the ground in front of them, adding their purrs to the fire’s crackles.

“…Do you want to talk now?” Keith broke the silence first; his voice was quiet and slow. Lance looked down at his hot chocolate, where the whipped cream was beginning to melt. He let out a small laugh.

“What’s there to talk about? I wanted to go home, but you seemed to be having fun, so I decided to go on ahead. I left the car so you would have a way back to the apartment. The weather really wasn’t that bad, so I thought I would be ok walking.”

What he said technically wasn’t a lie, but he still felt bad. Keith was watching him carefully.

“Something’s bothering you.” He whispered, and Lance flinched.

“It’s not something for you to worry about. It’s just…something silly, that’s all.” Lance nervously played with the hem of his blanket.

Keith was obviously not impressed by Lance’s reply. He scooted closer, only for Lance to inch away. Keith frowned.

“Did something happen at the party? Did someone do something to you?” His eyes darkened, and Lance had to quickly dispel his fears.

“No, of course not! The party was…fine. There’s really nothing to worry over.” He squirmed as Keith’s gaze bore into him.

“…You know you can tell me anything, right? I won’t judge, or get angry. You’re my best friend, Lance, and I…I..” Whatever Keith was going to say got stuck in his throat, so he let it fade out. Lance nodded and took another sip of hot chocolate to calm his jittery nerves.

“I know that. And I would do the same for you.” Lance said, and then took a deep breath. A sliver of courage flickered into existence, and he grasped it. “I guess I’m just…worried about tomorrow.”

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why are you worried about tomorrow? Is something wrong?” Lance sighed and shook his head.

“ _No_ , Keith, nothing’s wrong. I’m just…wondering what I’m going to do when I’m alone until it’s time to meet up with Hunk and Pidge.” He risked a peek at Keith.

Keith was staring at Lance with a perplexed expression.

“Lance…why are you thinking that you’ll be alone tomorrow?” He asked slowly, as if he was trying to piece things together in his head. It was Lance’s turn to be confused. He twisted to set his cup on the side table before turning back to Keith.

“Aren’t you spending Christmas Day with your girlfriend?” He asked in a slightly accusatory tone. Lance thought he had a grasp of the situation, but now everything was being thrown into chaos again.

 Keith’s eyes widened almost comically large.

“G-Girlfriend? What? I don’t have a girlfriend!” He sputtered, trying in vain to understand what was going on. It was the same for Lance.

“What do you mean? I saw you with her, under the mistletoe at the party.”

Keith stared at Lance for a solid thirty seconds, and then he threw his hands over his face. He started shaking, and Lance was shocked to see that it was from laughter. Keith hunched over as his giggles turned into full blown laughter.

Lance was stunned, and slightly insulted.

“What the hell man?” He cried over the laughter.

Keith forced his laughs down, and he wiped a tear form his eye.

“Lance,” he chuckled, giving a smile that made Lance’s stomach flip, “that was Angela. She’s a friend from calculus, and she’s gay. We were talking about her new girlfriend when we accidentally stepped under the mistletoe. We decided just to go with the tradition for the heck of it. I don’t love her in a romantic way, and neither does she to me.”

Lance didn’t know what to say, until he did.

“B-But, I overheard you talking to Shiro about confessing to someone at the party?”

At this, Keith glowed bright red, and looked away. He coughed into his hand awkwardly.

“You heard that? Shit…” He mumbled the curse.

Lance watched as he bit his lip, and then put his hands to his mouth and exhaled loudly, apparently thinking over something serious. His leg bounced nervously, and then he turned around to set his mug on the opposite end table. He turned back to Lance, and his white face made Lance briefly afraid that Keith was going to pass out.

“I… I was originally going to tell you at the party, but that... obviously didn’t happen.” He sucked in a shaky breath. “Lance, there’s something I…shit, I mean…what I want to say is…I-”

Lance watched as Keith stumbled over his words with a pained expression. Keith growled at himself and rubbed his temples.

“Oh _fuck it_!”

His head whipped up and his gaze burned with intensity.

“Lance, I’m in love with you.”

Dead silence filled the room. Lance’s mouth opened and closed like a fish; his brain shut down, and was in the middle of rebooting itself.

“I…what?” He managed to squeak out.

Keith was blushing from his cheeks to the tips of his ears now.

“I was going to tell you sooner but… I just, could never find the right words. I was always too scared of rejection, or that it would make things awkward or-” He cut himself off with an irritated groan. “This is so _stupid_! Whenever I think of you, it’s like my feelings get amplified, and I can’t control them! I get these weird insecurities that I’ve never had before, and I get so irrational and…fuck.”

He slumped into the couch and threw his hand over his eyes.

“When I couldn’t find you at the party, I was worried, but it wasn’t until Nyma and Rolo told me that they saw you leaving when everything just…hit. I thought I lost my chance to tell you, or that it was the universe telling me to give up. I ran outside to see if you were still there, but when I saw that you hadn’t taken the car…god.”

His hands were curled into fists, and he sounded shaken.

“I thought you went home with someone else, and I hated myself for letting someone else whisk you away due to my cowardliness. Then, Nyma told me that you had been alone, and I knew that you must’ve tried to walk home. When I told her this, she and Rolo offered to help look for you. They got in their car and checked the sidewalks while I drove home to see if you were here. I called them, after I talked to you, and they know you’re alright.”

With every word, Keith’s grimace deepened.

“While driving, I…thought something was horribly wrong. I kept on thinking of what could have possibly made you walk home, and all the worst case scenarios came to my mind. That you heard something that made you hate me, or that you somehow figured out that I was going to confess to you and decided to spare me the embarrassment of rejection in front of a hundred people.”

Keith took another breath to calm himself, and let his hands fall to his lap.

“…I know this is probably a lot to take in, but I just… can’t keep quiet about it anymore. I don’t want to lose our friendship, but I don’t want to lose _you_ to someone else either!”

His expression was desperate, and he was shaking as he slowly reached over and grabbed Lance’s hands.

“...You don’t have to like me back or anything, you just deserve to know.”

Keith stopped talking, and finally looked at Lance.

Through Keith’s entire speech, Lance had been silent. He had no idea what to think. How does one even act after the person you thought you had no chance with suddenly bared their heart out to you? If it wasn’t for Keith clutching his hands so tightly it almost hurt, he would’ve thought that this was all a hallucination.

Keith’s eyes looked glossy, but the love Lance always yearned for was finally visible. Or maybe this was the first time Lance let himself see it.

As if by magic, the pieces of his heart that he thought he had abandoned flung back together. His heart began to beat with new vigor, and his entire body tingled with a strange emotion he couldn’t quite place. It was love, but somehow, it felt much deeper.

Keith fidgeted as Lance remained silent for a moment too long. He began to let go of his hands, when tears began welling up in Lance’s eyes. Keith stiffened with alarm, and Lance blinked.

Then, Lance let go of Keith’s hands, and then cuffed him soundly over the head. Keith was stunned as Lance began laughing.

“After all this time of me worrying that you would never love me back, you up and give a confession like that?! I was going to confess to _you_ first!”

He fell against Keith and wrapped his arms around him. “I thought you were going to confess to someone from our class! That’s why I’ve been trying to seduce you these last three days!”

Keith gripped him like he couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Y-You’ve been what? You mean that was on purpose? Dammit Lance, I thought you were driving me crazy without realizing it!”

Lance shook his head and gripped around Keith’s chest and buried his face into his shoulder.

“I thought you didn’t notice, or you didn’t care! I was going to confess to you at the party as well, but then I saw you with-Angela, was it- and I thought she was the one you were in love with!” He blurted out, and Keith leaned back and stared at him. Lance was blushing furiously now, but he didn’t stop blabbing. “That’s why I left! I hated at the thought of you loving someone else, and I really didn’t want to stay there after that so I…”

Keith gripped Lance in a crushing hug. Lance’s face was squashed up against his shoulder, but that didn’t prevent him from reaching up and gripping Keith’s sweater.

“So, does that mean that you…had no idea that I was in love with you?” Keith asked, and Lance shook his head.

“Yeah. I always thought you just thought of me as a friend.”

Keith’s breath was trembling as he exhaled.

“You _are_ my friend Lance. My best friend. But when I realized that my feelings ran deeper than that around last Christmas, I had no idea how to tell you. You’re the greatest person I know, and I didn’t want to lose you because of my feelings.”  

Lance felt like crying all over again, but this time, out of joy.

“I felt the same way. I didn’t want to freak you out and lose the person most important to me.”

The sounds of the crackling fireplace filled the silence as they laid quietly, holding each other for comfort. Then, Keith chuckled into Lance’s hair.

“Just a wild guess, but I think we’ve been a bit stupid.” He murmured, and Lance gave a watery laugh.

“You think?” He felt a small tear escape and soak into Keith’s shirt.

Keith shifted so he could pull Lance into his lap. He then rested his cheek on Lance’s head while slowly rubbing his back.

“So…what now?”

Of that, Lance wasn’t sure. He didn’t know what life would be like now, what things would change, or what would stay the same. All he knew was that he was never letting Keith go. He was positive that everything would fall into place on its own, and he and Keith would be able to handle anything if they continued to support each other.

And he was sure Keith felt the same.

Lance chuckled, and shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess we should start dating.” He suggested, and Keith laughed; it sounded weightless and musical.

“I think we already were, we just didn’t know it.”

Lance laughed along with him, and the room resonated with their mutual love and joy.

As they quieted down to small chuckles, Lance looked up at Keith, his own cheeks hurt a bit from smiling so wide. The flickering fire light from the TV mixed with the Christmas tree lights, creating a cozy atmosphere in the living room, and making the rest of the apartment seem dark in comparison. Red and Blue were still sleeping soundly on the rug, and Keith held him in his arms while they were buried under a fluffy blanket.

For the first time since Lance had to move away from his family in Cuba, he felt content. He rested his head on Keith’s shoulder again, and they fell into companionable silence. They no longer needed words; all they needed was to hold each other, and lay in each other’s presence.

Lance’s eyes were beginning to droop after a while; he had a long day, full of emotional ups and downs, and he felt drained. He was about to fall asleep, when Keith nudged him.

“Hey Lance.”

Lance lifted his head up sleepily.

“Hm?” He hummed, and leaned away from Keith so he could fully look at him.

Keith grinned and looked up, and Lance let his gaze do the same. Above them, with the lights reflecting off the glossy leaves, hung a strand of mistletoe.

Lance had no memory of putting that up. He looked down and met Keith’s eye.

“Is… is that-?”

Keith smirked and grabbed the collar of Lance’s sweater.

“Oh yeah.”

He pulled Lance down and mashed their lips together.

Lance hadn’t much experience with kissing, and it was clear that Keith hadn’t either. The kiss was chaste, and slightly awkward since their noses kept on bumping into each other. Keith’s lips were chapped, making them not as soft as they looked, and he was pressing them against Lance’s so hard that it almost hurt.

But Lance didn’t care about any of that. The kiss was one of pure love, and it conveyed all the adoration and wonder Keith held for him, making it sweeter than anything Lance could’ve imagined. He fell back onto the couch cushions, and Keith pressed one hand to the small of his back and supported his head with the other.

Eventually, they both realized that breathing was a thing that they needed to do to survive. They broke apart, and Lance’s eyes fluttered open. Their foreheads rested against each other, and Keith’s breath ghosted over Lance’s mouth.

Lance tightened his grip around Keith’s back and buried his head once again into his shoulder.

“Hey Keith.” He whispered.

“Hm?” Keith nuzzled into his hair, and Lance could feel his heart beating against his. More tears escaped, and he let out a small breathy chuckle.

“I love you.”

Keith laughed, and he sounded close to tears as well.

“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to hear those words.” He moved his head so he was murmuring into Lance’s ear. “I love you too.”

Lance felt his breath choke up, and fresh tears ran down his face. He reached up and scrubbed his eyes, laughing, and Keith did the same.

The snow outside was falling down hard, making it difficult to see anything but a curtain of white when looking out the window. But Keith and Lance weren’t looking outside; they were too busy laughing and grinning dopily while whispering to each other. Their voices eventually quieted, and they laid with each other on the couch, watching as the digital fire in front of them danced and crackled.

As Lance listened to Keith’s soft breaths next to his ear, he thanked the powers above. He didn’t have to give up Keith, and, if the fates allowed it, he would be able to stay by his side forever. Lance’s mind didn’t drift to the future; those thoughts were for another time. For now, he was content with just lying against the man he loves.

The more Lance thought about it, the more silly he felt for trying to earn Keith’s heart. It was already his, but he had been too blind to see it. That still didn’t mean that Lance regretted these last three days though. Cooking pancakes, going ice skating, playing in the snow, baking cookies, and simply spending the holiday with Keith, would forever remain in his memories.

These moments were important, and they led to the most amazing gift Lance could ask for: the knowledge of Keith’s love. But now, he was ok with letting them remain in the past, because he would have the rest of his life to make new memories with Keith. He didn’t have to let him go, and he never would.

He opened his eyes as Blue and Red hopped up onto their laps. The cats purred loudly and snuggled into their humans’ sweaters. The weight of Keith's arms around Lance and the cats lying lovingly on his lap made the final, unknowingly missing piece of his heart click into place. This really was the best Christmas ever, because now he had his own little family to celebrate it with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *PUNCHES YOU IN THE FACE WITH ANGST and then crawls back and gives you a fluffy blanket and a cup of fluff.*  
> I hope you liked this chapter! I had fun, maybe a bit too much, writing it. Like I said above, there will be an Epilogue, just wait and see. But for now, I feel content with leaving it here. Thank you so much again for reading this story and supporting me! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! I have to go, but remember to review, or not, it's your choice!  
> Merry Christmas, and God bless!


	6. Day 4: Christmas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Happy New Year! I know, it's a bit too late for a Christmas fic, but you're getting one anyway. I hope y'all had a good holiday! Well, this is it, the end of this story! I really hope you y'all liked it! This chapter isn't really an 'Epilogue' per se, it's just kinda another chapter I wanted to write for the heck of it. I made it extra long for you, it's *checks paper* holy shit 11,263 words! That's the longest chapter I've ever written! Today is a day to go down in history! Alright alright, y'all want to get to the story, but before we start, one last disclaimer! I don't own anything, thank you very much. Alrighty! Now we can start! On with the story!

* * *

 

Lance was in the middle of pleasant dream. He was standing in the middle of nowhere on a snow-covered hill; as far as the eye could see were rolling white hills speckled with pine trees. Snow was coming down, and an occasional breeze rustled the tree’s branches and swept the snow off the ground, making it spiral and dissipate into the air. There was no noise other than the whistling of the wind, not even a birdcall. It was if Lance was standing in a silent bubble, secluded from the rest of the world.

A fuzzy coat covered him and kept the chill out. The fur lining the hood tickled his cheeks as it fluttered in the wind. He took a deep breath, and let it out, watching as the vapor drifted up and disappeared into the grey sky. There were no distant lights of a nearby town, and he was the only soul in sight.

The calm and quiet of the world around him filled him with a sense of peace. He closed his eyes and tilted his face to the sky. Cold snowflakes drifted onto his skin and stuck to his eyelashes. Another vapor of breath escaped his lips, and serenity washed over him.

Crunching boots sounded behind him, but he didn’t turn around. Someone stood next to him, not speaking, and looked out into the horizon. They reached over, and took Lance’s hand. Lance already knew who it was, and he opened his eyes to look at him.

The wind caused the hood over Keith’s head to flutter, the dark color of his coat was a stark contrast against the pale background. His cheeks were pink, as well were his nose and lips. Keith met Lance’s eye, and smiled softly.

Lance smiled back, and tightened his grip on his hand. Then, without speaking, they both turned towards the horizon and began walking. Where to, Lance had no idea.

The image wavered, and then faded as his mind drifted away.

Lance broke out of the dream as someone shook his shoulder. He cracked open his eyes and rubbed them. His shoulder was shook again, and this time Lance’s groggy brain acknowledged that someone was whispering at him.

“-nce”

Lance yawned to try to rid the fuzziness from between his ears, and closed his eyes.

“Laaaance.” The voice drawled, and a hand shook him more firmly. “Wake up. It’s Christmas.”

Lance’s mumbled something even he himself couldn’t comprehend and snuggled deeper into the covers. Christmas or not, he was tired, and comfy, and he really didn’t want to get up. Then, someone had the audacity to try to yank his covers away. Lance scowled and clutched at his blanket, trying to keep it above his shoulders.

He heard a snicker, and he cracked open an eye to see Keith’s grin. So, Keith was trying to fight dirty eh? By stealing his warmth so he’ll be forced to get up? Well, Lance wouldn’t let him get away with it.

His blanket slipped from his grasp, and Keith yelled with triumph, only for him to yelp when Lance snapped his arms around him and dragged him onto the mattress. Keith’s complaints were muffled as Lance laid partially on top of him. Lance wrapped his legs around Keith’s and clung to him like a cuddly octopus.

This was much better, Lance thought as he nuzzled his face into Keith’s hair. They didn’t sleep in the same bed last night, and Lance missed his cuddles. He could have easily fallen back to sleep when Keith began whacking him on the back. Frowning, he made a sleepy noise of displeasure and squeezed tighter.

Keith fell lax, and Lance was about to drift back to sleep when Keith let out a mischievous chuckle. Lance suddenly became wary, and lessened his grip. He flinched when a hand drifted down his back, and then pinched his rear. Lance shrieked and tried to wiggle away, only to have Keith cackle and hold him in a vice-like grip.

“That was revenge for waking me up early the last few days.” Keith smirked, and then gently pecked Lance on the lips.

Lance froze with shock, and his lips tingled. His heart flapped wildly as his brain whirred in effort to comprehend what was going on. Finally, his mind caught up with him, and the memory of last night appeared out of the haze. His cheeks heat up as Keith’s confession replayed in his mind’s eye.

Did that really happen? Lance still couldn’t believe it. If it weren’t for Keith snuggling into him and giving him a kiss on the cheek, he would have assumed that it was another Keith-Dream. He’s been having a lot of those lately.

A dopey smile appeared on his face, and Lance couldn’t help but giggle. It was Christmas morning, and Keith loved him. It was a pretty perfect day to wake up to. First things first though, was to get up. Lance wiggled his fingers into Keith’s stomach, making Keith leap back with flailing arms. Lance laughed at him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Do you think Santa broke into our home and left us gifts?” He asked, and Keith grinned.

“Only one way to find out.”

Lance jumped up and headed towards the door.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

The blankets flew to the side as Keith scrambled to follow him. Lance walked into the living room, and saw that Keith had already turned on the Christmas tree. The lights seemed extra merry this morning, and they reflected off the glossy presents laying under the tree’s branches.

It took a lot of willpower not to sit down and rip open the presents. Lance dutifully went to the kitchen first and fed the cats before making a cup of coffee for himself and Keith. As he did this, Keith turned on the TV and began playing some Christmas music. He turned the volume down low, and accepted his mug of coffee from Lance. He apparently couldn’t resist reaching up and kissing Lance’s cheek again; he seemed to be in a pretty lovey mood, but then again, so was Lance.

The events from last night still lingered, and Lance felt ten times lighter than usual. His laughter came easier, and he couldn’t stop smiling. He nuzzled his cheek in Keith’s hair, and then sat down in front of the tree. Keith did the same, and Red and Blue got the idea to walk over and demand pets before their humans could get to the presents.

Finally, the cats were satisfied and trotted over to curl up next to each other by the TV. Lance grinned at them, and then turned to survey the presents before him. He tapped his chin in thought, and then grabbed a present wrapped in paper with snowmen on it. He handed it to Keith with excitement. Keith raised his eyebrows as he began unwrapping it. He lifted the lid off the little box, and looked inside. His eyes furrowed in confusion, and he pulled out a paper receipt.

He gave Lance a questioning glance before examining it. As his eyes scanned the words, his eyes widened.

“You actually got it fixed? I thought the guy at the repair place said that he couldn’t fix it?!”

 Lance grinned.

“I took it to a different place to get a second opinion. And by that I mean I took it to Rolo. He examined it, and he told me to come back in a few days. I did, and it was good as new! I have limited knowledge of motorcycles, so I don’t really know what he did to get it working. Well, actually, he told me what he did, but it was all technical mumbo jumbo that I had no way of understanding. But seems like it’s running fine now, and Rolo told me to tell you to swing by the garage when you have time and check it out before riding it back home.”

Lance then chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “I kinda wish that I could’ve just gotten you a new motorcycle, but I can’t afford something like that yet. So, sorry if it’s not anything too big, I just thought you’d like it…”

Keith dropped the receipt and pulled Lance into a crushing hug.

“It’s perfect! I love that bike, and for you to find a way to get it fixed…Thank you so much.”

Lance smirked and wiggled out of Keith’s arms.

“Why are you thanking me now? You haven’t even opened all of your gifts yet!” He reached over to grab another gift for Keith, but a present was shoved into his arms before he could do so.

“You already gave me something, it’s your turn now.” Keith said with determination. He sat cross-legged, watching intently as Lance looked at the present in surprise.

Lance held it up and inspected it. It was medium-sized blob with paper wrapped haphazardly around it, and it didn’t weigh very much. He looked at Keith questionably, and then opened it. The paper gave way, and his fingers met soft material. He gasped as he threw the ripped paper to the side.

A hand-made plush shark sat in his hands. It’s stitching was awkward, and the eyes were of different sizes. Lance immediately loved it. He clutched it to his chest and his eyes grew a bit watery.

“Aw, Keith! Did you make this?”

Keith nodded, grinning widely as Lance felt the material between his fingers.

“Yeah. I worked on it whenever you were out.” He scooched closer to Lance. “Sewing is way harder than I thought it would be. I had to call your mom and ask how to do it.” He chuckled. “She seemed pretty amused by it. I guess it’s because you asked her the same thing when we were fifteen.”

Keith suddenly stood and headed to his room. When he returned, he was holding his own plush hippo. He sat down next to Lance, and set the hippo next to the shark.

“We match.” Keith said with a grin. He then looked down, almost shy. “I really wanted to get you something you would really like this year. I wanted it to be good, since I was planning on confessing to you the previous day. I…I was nervous about it. If you accepted me, I wanted the gift to be special, so you would really understand how much I love you. If you didn’t… well, at least it would be a good gift for you to remember me by.”

Lance stared at the shark, and then up at Keith. He was touched. Keith put so much thought and care into his gift, and Lance was overcome with love all over again.

“I-I don’t know what to say.” He managed to stutter. “I just…I love it.”

He grabbed Keith and hugged him, trying to convey all his whirling feelings.

“I love it, and I love _you_. Thank you, so much.”

After a moment, they slowly released each other. Lance laughed softly and placed both stuffed animals on the couch.

“I don’t know if anything can top this.” His cheeks hurt, he was smiling too wide. Keith hummed and tapped a finger to his chin.

“Hmm, maybe, but I still have some pretty awesome gifts for you.”

Lance snorted, and handed Keith another present.

“I could say the same thing about you.”

The next hour or two was spent opening presents. Wrapping paper was strewn about as they awed over their new items. Lance got a few articles of clothing, a couple video games, new eyeliner and mascara, and other little miscellaneous items that would be useful in either the upkeep of their apartment or the aesthetic of it.

Keith received the scarf Lance mentioned two days ago, a couple of video games, articles of clothing, and a new knife for his collection. Then, they gave their cats their presents. Red and Blue, however, seemed much more entertained by the scattered wrapping paper than the brand new cat toys. They did seem to like to their large cat bed though, and they immediately curled up with each other on it.

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around the apartment. Lance cooked the Christmas tree pancakes again, this time with Keith’s help. They ate their brunch as they stared over their living room, which was covered in open gifts and wrapping paper. After eating, they decided to clean up. Lance held open a trash bag while Keith stuffed the wrapping paper into it.

The cats weren’t very happy about this, and tried to sneak into the bag while the humans’ backs were turned. Lance stopped this after the third time it happened, and he and Keith agreed to leave out a few slips of wrapping paper for their cats’ enjoyment.

The trash bags were set next to the door to be put outside later, and Lance and Keith sat on their couch to play their new games and watch Christmas specials on the television for the last time until next year’s Christmas. After a few good movies, they switched to the trashy Hallmark Christmas rom-coms, and laughed at the narrative and the characters.

After a particularly entertaining part about the main female character accidentally knocking over the Christmas tree of a cynical, Christmas-hating man, who was obviously the main love interest, Lance decided to turn off the television and end their torment. Keith was in full agreement of this, and screen went black.

Lance stretched lazily, and checked the time.

“The party starts in an hour. I’m going to get changed.” He stood and walked to his room. Lance slipped off his top and put on a Christmas sweater. It had a festive design around the edges, and in the middle it read ‘Santa’s Favorite Ho.’. He looked in the mirror, and chuckled at himself. Oh how he loved ugly Christmas sweaters.

He quickly brushed through his hair and stepped back into the living room. He was the first one out, so he put all the gifts for their friends in a big bag. His phone suddenly rang, and he answered immediately after he saw the caller I.D.

“Hey, Nyma! Merry Christmas!” He said cheerfully.

“Merry Christmas to you too, you idiot. Not to be a downer, but what was up with yesterday? When Keith told us you left the party early, I was terrified that we pushed you to confess at the wrong time and you got your heart broken!”

Everything before last evening now seemed like a blur to Lance. He felt a little nick at his good mood when he remembered how terrible he had felt, but then it disappeared as soon as it came. He sat on the couch and smiled.

“Yeah, sorry about that. It was a big misunderstanding, and I’ll tell you the whole thing when I see you later. Just know that everything is ok now, and I’m fine.” He heard Nyma give a little sigh of relief.

“That’s all I needed to know. So, how did everything go with Keith?”

As this, Lance felt himself blushing.

“Ah, well, we uh…we’re kinda together now?”

“…”

Lance had to pull the phone away from his ear as Nyma began screeching.

“FINALLY!!!” She screamed into the receiver. “It’s about time you two dunderheads got your act together! God, I still can’t believe you two didn’t realize all this time that you were pining after each other!”

Embarrassed, Lance laughed.

“Yeah, I probably should have just said something earlier, but you know how it was…”

He then heard a muffled voice in the background through the phone, and Nyma pulled the phone away from her ear to answer, making her words sound slightly distant.

“It’s Lance. You won’t believe it! –Yeah, he’s finally confessed!”

The other voice began yelling something in an excited voice. Then the new voice began yelling in Lance’s ear, making him wince and pull the phone away yet again- he was getting slightly concerned about his eardrums.

“Lance my man! You finally did it!” There was a giant smile in Rolo’s voice, and Lance couldn’t help but grin as well. “Thank god we don’t have to sit through you two mooning after each other anymore-” Nyma cut him off with a laugh.

“Are you kidding? They’ll probably be even worse now!” She laughed, and Lance joined her.

There was a sound of a door opening, and Keith walked out. He was now wearing a sweater that matched Lance’s; he was also holding Red, successfully getting cat-hair all over his front. After letting Red climb down from his arms, he sat next to Lance and tried to listen to the voices through the receiver.

“Is that Nyma and Rolo?” He asked, and Lance nodded. At his voice, Nyma piped up excitedly.

“Is Keith here? Put it on speaker phone!”

Lance complied, and Nyma’s voice sounded through the room.

“Keith! I’m proud of you! You finally got your head outta your ass and told Lance of your mushy, gushy, sickening-sweet love for him!”

“Wait. Who confessed first?” Rolo cut in. Keith was slowly turning a shade of pink, and he glanced at Lance before clearing his throat.

“Uh, I guess I did?”

Nyma squealed, and they heard her jumping up and down on her couch.

“I knew it! How’d you do it? Did you sweep him off his feet by telling him what you’ve been telling me these last gazillion months? That you’ve been pining after him since last year? That you think his eyes are like the ocean during a clear summer sky, or that you once claimed that you could survive off his laughs and smiles alone? Or did you go a completely different route and give him a little _party_ of his own, eh?”

They could practically hear her wiggle her eyebrows.

“Nyma!” Keith cried in a scandalized tone. “I didn’t do anything like that!” Lance was laughing at his rapidly growing blush, so Keith scowled and shoved his shoulder. “All we did was talk things over. That’s it.”

Rolo snickered.

“And that’s all you needed to do for the last year! Next time you fall in love with someone, just up and tell them and spare us the months of pain watching you fumble around!”

Keith snorted at this and wrapped his arm around Lance’s waist.

“I’m not falling in love with anyone who isn’t Lance, so that won’t be happening.”

Lance and Nyma cooed at him at the same time.

“Awww, Keith!” Lance snuggled into him and kissed his cheek. Nyma’s tone was more teasing.

“That’s so cute I’m going to barf. I’m going to have to carry around a bag to puke in whenever I’m around you guys now.”

Lance scoffed at her.

“As if you and Rolo _don’t_ make us want to upchuck at your cuteness.”

“…I’m rolling my eyes if you can’t tell by the tone of my voice. Me and Rolo have been married for at least two years, I’m pretty sure our mushy honeymoon phase is over. You two, however, are just getting into it, so please refrain from sitting on each other and having PDA sessions while in our presence.”

Lance laughed and nuzzled into Keith’s cheek.

“We make no promises!” 

“I don’t know why I was expecting anything else. However, I’m always willing to hear you two gush about the other, it makes great teasing material!”

A small beeping noise sounded from Nyma and Rolo’s side of the call.

“Oh crap. I forgot about the cookies!” Rolo said and there was a shuffling sound of him standing up. “I gotta go, but congrats again Lance, Keith! Talk to you bros later!” He stepped away, and Nyma sighed.

“I’d better go too. We’re decorating the cookies soon, and I don’t want the dogs to get into the icing again. You’d better give me _all_ the details about what happened when I see you two again! I won’t expect anything less than the full story about how you two realized you loved each other, so you’d better be prepared for a long talk!”

Lance huffed with amusement.

“Alright, alright. We will! Thanks for checking in on us, and I’ll see you later!”

Keith nodded and grinned.

“Yeah, and thanks for yesterday, by the way. It’s nice to have your help.”

Nyma laughed, quietly this time.

“It’s what we’re here for. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Lance and Keith chimed at the same time. There was rustling sound, and the call ended. Lance turned off the speaker mode and pocketed his phone. He gave Keith a sly look.

“So, ‘eyes like the ocean during a clear summer sky’, huh?” Keith huffed and stood.

“Don’t tease me, I said that during the time I was still trying to sort out my feelings. Besides…it’s true.” He shyly reached over and stroked Lance’s cheek. “You have beautiful eyes.” He bent down and kissed the tip of Lance’s nose.

Lance couldn’t help but let out a squeak and fling his hands up to hide his burning cheeks, feeling flustered.

“When did you get so smooth?” He whined. Keith smiled and his fingers nervously picked at the edge of his sweater.

“You have an effect on me. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can stop for now.”

Lance let his hands drop. He felt flustered, happy, giggly, and unsure all at the same time. This whole situation was new to him, so he didn’t really know what to expect.

“No! I-I like it, it’s just…it’s different.”

Keith’s shoulders lost their tension. He shuffled his feet a bit and scratched the back of his head.

“I feel the same. But, it’s a good different. Also,” his hands reached out and he cupped Lance’s cheeks, “I like being able to do this.” He gently kissed Lance’s lips.

There was something about Keith’s kisses that made Lance feel like a tittering schoolboy with a crush. When Keith broke away, Lance had a goofy smile. Lance let out a breath of laughter and stood up.

“To be honest, I really like that too.”

He grabbed Keith’s hand, and they stood there in the middle of the living room, holding hands and blushing and smiling like kids in puppy-love.

From her cat tower, Red gave them an exasperated look. Once again, her humans were being ridiculous. She sighed and shook her head; at least they were making progress. But she still had a sneaking suspicion that her humans would forever be ridiculous around each other. Yawning, she went back to her catnap against Blue.

Unfortunately, Lance’s phone interrupted him from gazing into Keith’s eyes and concreting all their colors to memory. He sighed, and the moment fell flat. His hand dropped to his pocket and grabbed his phone. As he checked the caller I.D., secretly hoping that it would be a random number or a spam so he could get back to Keith as soon as possible. However, when he saw the name on the screen, he immediately pressed the green answer button.

“Hey Hunk! Sorry, I didn’t know it was this late, we’re about to leave right now.”

“Oh, awesome! There’s no huge hurry, though, I was just wondering if you were ok. It’s beginning to snow again, so be careful on the roads. Pidge and Allura are already here, and we’re still waiting for the others.” His friend’s familiar voice answered him. Lance glanced to Keith, and gestured his head toward the door. Keith got the memo and stepped to the closet to grab their coats. Lance grabbed the bag of gifts for their friends.

“Alright, thanks for the warning, we’ll be careful. See you in a bit.” He ended the call after hearing Hunk say goodbye, and put away his phone. He thanked Keith as he was handed his jacket, and slipped it on.

“Hunk said that only Pidge and Allura are there at the moment, so we aren’t too late.” He told him. Keith put on his own jacket and zipped it up.

“Cool. I’m ready when you are.”

Lance opened the door they exited into the hallway. Before they headed to the elevator though, they quickly stopped by old Mrs. Jenkins’s apartment to give her a present. They knocked on the door, and within a minute, it opened. The sounds of friends laughing inside her apartment drifted into the hallway. The old woman blinked through her large glasses before beaming at them.

“Well this is a pleasant surprise! Come in, come in!”

They allowed themselves to be ushered into her apartment and Mrs. Jenkins shut the door. A few older ladies and gentlemen were sitting on the flower-patterned couch and recliners while chatting happily with each other. As Lance and Keith walked in, they went silent and looked at them. Mrs. Jenkins patted their shoulders as she turned to her friends.

“Everyone, these two are Lance and Keith from a few doors down. They’re good friends of mine.”

There were a chorus of hellos, and Lance and Keith waved at them, feeling slightly awkward. Mrs. Jenkins pointed at each person, introducing them as she did so.

“That one over there is Mr. Edward. He was a pilot back in the war.” She didn’t specify which war. The man she was pointing at grinned, revealing a few missing teeth, and waved a hand at them.

“That lady with the black hair is Serena Gulligan. She’s my cousin-twice removed.” The woman dressed in all black gave them a mysterious smile and raised her teacup at them.

 “The man with the horrible taste in clothing is my brother, Joseph.” A man in a loud Hawaiian button-up gave his sister an affronted look before waving.

 “And that old crone sitting in _my_ easy seat is Ramera Vladmeroph.”

An ancient looking woman with huge beaded-necklaces dangling from her shoulders adjusted her glasses as she peered at them. She grinned and cackled gleefully at them.

“Ain’t that real sweet! It’s not every day a couple of youngsters remember to give a hello to an old crotchety woman like my friend Margie! Come here, dearies, let old Ramera get a looksee at cha’.”

They shuffled to the woman, who reached over and grabbed Lance’s face with spindly fingers. His cheeks were squashed as she tilted his head side to side. She released him, and did the same to Keith.

“Hmm, quite the handsome fellows you got here, Margie.” Ramera said, releasing Keith before turning to her friends. “If I had neighbors like these, you’d know that I would keep em’ around! It would definitely make for a nice view!” She cackled again, and Mrs. Jenkins rolled her eyes.

“Oh hush your teasing. You’ll scare them away.”

Ramera grinned at the boys and reached up to gently pinch Lance’s cheek.

“Don’t be such a priss, Margie-Pargie. These dearies know I’m kidding. ”

Mrs. Jenkins sighed and shook her head. She guided Lance and Keith to the small Christmas tree she had sitting in the corner.

“Now, I know you two probably have plans tonight, so I won’t keep you long, but I wanted to give you these!” She spoke as she grabbed two neatly-wrapped presents from under the tree. She handed the red one to Lance, and the blue on to Keith. Mrs. Jenkins smiled widely at their surprised expressions. “You don’t have to open them now, but I hope you like them when you do!”

They thanked her profusely and gently set the gifts in the bag they had brought. Lance then took a small present and handed it to Mrs. Jenkins.

“We also got you something, ma’am.” The woman grinned in delight as she took the gift from his hands.

“Why! Aren’t you dears! I wasn’t expecting anything!” She placed the gift underneath the tree with the rest. “I’ll open it when we do presents later. Thank you!” She hugged them, and Ramera sighed.

“Now I really want to steal them from you, Margie! Good looks, _and_ gives presents? A woman’s dream.”

Lance laughed and playfully winked at her.

“Don’t worry, ma’am, I’m sure there’s enough of us to go around.”

Ramera cackled and patted his hand.

“Ooh, I like this one! Y’know, I’m sure Margie won’t mind if I take just one of you.”

Keith grinned and threw his arm around Lance’s shoulders.

“I don’t know about Mrs. Jenkins, but I would definitely mind.” He chuckled. Ramera raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Oh ho! I see how it is.” She released Lance’s hand and gently pushed him into Keith. “Don’t worry, sonnie, I’m not one to steal another person’s husband.”

Keith and Lance grew red, and Mrs. Jenkins laughed, sounding similar to Ramera’s cackle.

“You didn’t know this, Ramera, but these two aren’t married. They also claim that they aren’t dating! Can you believe that!”

One of the older gentlemen, Mr. Edwards, perked up at this.

“Nonsense! I once knew two young cadets that were just like these two! They kept it under wraps of course, but by golly I never knew two people more in love!” He nodded at Lance and pointed his walking cane at Keith, who recoiled slightly in shock. “You keep this one close to you, y’hear? Don’t let opportunities slip from your grasp!”

The other woman who had been silent this entire time, Ms. Serena, rolled her eyes.

“Oh please, Uncle. As if these two would ever let the other get away.” She swirled the tea in her cup, and her voice grew misty and her eyes distant. “Besides, I’ve seen into the young men’s future. They’re destined for happiness with each other.”

Keith and Lance were startled out of their embarrassment and stared at the strange woman. Mrs. Jenkins’s brother, Joseph, leaned in to whisper at them.

“Cousin Serena likes to believe that she is a seer. She’s a little kooky in the head, but she’s damn good company.”

Keith and Lance nodded and gave Ms. Serena a smile, only looking slightly uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Lance’s phone went off, and Hunk’s I.D. was on the front. Lance apologized quietly to them, and Keith glanced at the time. He saw that they were now running late.

“Oh man. Unfortunately, we got to go, but it’s been awesome meeting all of you!”

Mrs. Jenkins looked a little put out, but nodded.

“Of course. I didn’t mean to pull you away, but I wanted to tell you merry Christmas before I head down to Florida for a few weeks.” She gave the two a quick hug. “Drive carefully, and have a good evening!”

Keith nodded at her.

“You too. Thank you for the gifts.” Lance nodded in agreement. Mrs. Jenkins’s grin returned.

“I’m hope you like them! Thank you so much for visiting!”

“It’s been a pleasure meeting you.” Joseph said after her. Mr. Edwards nodded and clunked his walking stick on the ground.

“Aye, you two take care of yourselves.” Next to him, Ms. Serena blinked slowly at them.

“I am glad I was finally able to meet you, Lance McClain and Keith Kogane. Perhaps we will see each other again.” Her whimsical voice trailed off, and she turned back to her tea. Ramera adjusted her glasses again.

“Well, I’m certainly going to try to see you two again! Have a good evening, and try not to spend too much time under the mistletoe!” She cackled, and earned an exasperated look from Mrs. Jenkins. As they walked to the door, they said a final goodbye. They exited into the hallway, and before the door closed, Keith turned to Mrs. Jenkins and spoke.

“Ah, actually, ma’am. You’ve been right about one thing about us for a while.”

Mrs. Jenkins paused closing the door and looked at him quizzically.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

Keith grinned, and wrapped his arm around Lance’s waist.

“As it turns out, we’re dating.”

In the apartment, they heard Ramera cry out with victory.

“I _knew_ it!”

Several voices hushed her, and Mrs. Jenkins grinned up at the two boys.

“See?” She said with a light chuckle. “You weren’t fooling anybody. Well, anybody, except yourselves it seems.”

Lance and Keith couldn’t help but laugh. With a final goodbye, Mrs. Jenkins closed the door, and they were alone. Sighing, Lance grabbed the bag of gifts and headed toward the elevator.

“I wasn’t expecting that this evening. It was nice though, meeting all of Mrs. Jenkins’s friends and family.”

Keith pressed the elevator button.

“They were a…interesting group of people.” He astutely pointed out. Lance snorted and entered the elevator.

“As if our own friends aren’t.”

They rode the elevator down to the main lobby, and the doors dinged as they opened.

Snow was falling behind the large windows in the lobby, and the cold seeped through the glass. Keith and Lance stood for a moment, watching as a few people hurried down the sidewalk and into their own cars, clutching their hats and jackets as the wind buffeted them.

Keith gave Lance a look out of the corner of his eye.

“Wow, I’m so glad that I have such an _amazing_ boyfriend who’s more than willing to go outside into the cold and bring the car to the front so I don’t have to walk through the parking lot and freeze!” He sighed dramatically, and batted his eyelashes.

Sighing, Lance got the hint. He gave him a small glare before opening the door and grudgingly walking into the cold. He shivered, and was glad that Keith had found a parking spot last night that was at least semi close.

The seat was ice cold as he got in, and the exhaust from the car rose up in clouds as he turned on the engine. Lance sat with his teeth chattering as the car slowly warmed up. When it was comfortable enough, he put it in gear and pulled in front of the apartment building’s main doors.

Keith smiled and waved at him cheekily when he saw him. Wrapping his arms around his chest, he walked outside and hurried to the car, opening the door and slipping into the passenger seat as fast as he could.

“Thaaank you.” He drawled, and Lance playfully whacked him on the shoulder.

As they drove on the main road, they chatted over the sound of the stereo playing merrily. After several minutes, they reached the neighborhood they were looking for. The houses were all decorated for Christmas, and twinkling lights were hung on every roof and tree. Christmas trees glittered through the windows, and nearly every yard had some sort of moving reindeer statues out front.

They pulled into the driveway of a house with a welcoming atmosphere. It was humble, but cozy looking. Frozen flowerbeds sat dormant in front of the house, waiting for the refreshing sun of spring to melt the frost. The trees sparkled with lights, and a jolly looking snowman was waving next to a cute light-up rabbit wearing a Santa hat.

There were already a few cars parked on the road in front of the house, and the windows glowed warmly, waiting for more guests to arrive. They unbuckled their seatbelts and stepped out of the car. It was freezing, and the promise of entering the warm and inviting house energized them to hurry. They stepped onto the front porch, and Keith pressed the doorbell. After a minute of waiting, the door opened, and a smiling woman greeted them. Her brown skin glowed in the lights, and she was wearing a comfy-looking Mrs. Claus dress. Her short black hair was pinned back by holly clips, and she was wearing festive hoop earrings.

“Merry Christmas you guys!” She exclaimed, and let them hurry inside and out of the cold. They stomped their feet on the door mat to rid their shoes of snow, and then set their shoes to the side. Once they set their belongings on the floor, they were swept into a big hug. Lance laughed and patted the woman on her back.

“Merry Christmas Shay! How’ve things been?”

She laughed, and released Keith from his hug.

“Same old, same old. Busy as a beehive at this time of year. Me and Hunk have been so occupied with the bakery that we nearly forgot to decorate for Christmas!” She sighed and looked around her house. It was sparkling clean, and holly and lights hung from the walls. Candles flickered brightly on side tables, and Christmas decorations were hung, placed, or pinned everywhere.

It rivaled Keith and Lance’s apartment in festive cheer.  Lance whistled as he glanced around.

“Wow, you guys really outdid yourselves this year!”

A small jingle sounded from the corner, and a ginormous orange cat padded into the hallway. It meowed and rubbed its head against Lance’s and Keith’s legs. Shay reached down to pet her cat.

“Melemele’s been waiting for you guys as well.” The cat purred, and then began rubbing its head against Lance’s foot.

“Hey girl, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” Lance murmured at the cat as he kneeled to stroke her back. Melemele moved to greet Keith, and then waddled away in search of other people to give her affection. Shay looked over her shoulder as she followed the cat down the hallway.

“Come on you guys. You’re the last ones here; everyone’s waiting in the living room.”

They eagerly shoved off their jackets and followed behind her. Already, there were people laughing and drinking cider while chatting when Lance and Keith stepped into the living room. Heads turned when they entered, and Lance gave them a one-hand salute.

“Look alive fives, a ten is here!”

A petite woman in a large sweater snorted at him from her spot by the tree.

“Excuse you, I’m an eleven.”

Lance grinned at her and swept her into a tight hug, despite her kicking and flailing arms.

“Pidgey! I missed you!”

Pidge scoffed at him, but stopped trying to wiggle out of his grip. She patted his back, trying to hide her snicker.

“Can’t say the same for you.”

Lance gasped, and let her drop.

“I’m hurt! Ever since you left me for Allura, you’ve been so cold!”

Pidge rolled her eyes and straightened her sweater.

“I know, I’m so horrible.” She deadpanned, but then gave him a smile. “It’s good to see you man. It’s been a while.”

 Lance plopped down in front of the fireplace, reveling in the feel of the flames warming his cold skin.

“Yeah, it’s been, what? Two months? How’s classes going?”

Pidge took a sip of her cider.

“Other than making me want to commit homicide, they’re fine. One of my professors is a friend of my dad though, so it’s easy to get extra credit. Everything else though is just meh.”

Lance nodded.

“At least you’re not dying. It’s pretty much the same for me. Classes are just ok, and work’s been fine.” He reached over and ruffled her hair. “I was able to get you something good this year, so be prepared!”

“Really? In that case, I’m sure you’re going to _love_ my gift to you.”

Lance wasn’t sure he liked the evil little grin on her face. He then heard someone approach him from behind and he turned. Keith’s brother smiled at him and held out a hand.

“Lance! How’re things?”

Lance grinned and grabbed his hand before pulling him into a one-armed hug.

“Hey Shiro! It’s been good! Like I just told Pidge, classes have been alright. How’s it been teaching little high school freshman? Do they make you want to jump through a window yet?”

Shiro seemed to wince at the memories that came to his brain.

“Not yet, but I’m getting there. I swear every single one of those kids either want to challenge me to a ‘masculinity’ contest or hit on me.” He then snorted with laughter. “It’s always fun to see the looks on their faces though, when I tell them about my fiancé.”

Lance’s grin widened, and he threw himself on the couch next to Keith.

“Oh yeah! How’s things with Matt?” He asked. Keith and Pidge were now listening in as well. Shiro laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, the ring on his finger glinting.

“Better than I was expecting. It’s been a bit crazy, planning the wedding and everything, but overall it’s been pretty smooth. I’ve been expecting something to go wrong any day now, but so far nothing has.”

“That’s because the Holt family are master planners. Nothing goes wrong on our watch!” Pidge piped up. Keith gave her a look.

“Have you forgotten the ‘Summer Disaster of Sophmore Year’? That wasn’t what I would call master planning.”

Pidge kicked his foot.

“That’s an exception! It wasn’t just Holts planning that, there was a McClain in there that messed up a lot of things!” Lance pouted.

“Hey! It wasn’t _my_ fault that we took that wrong turn!” Keith scoffed at him.

“You were the one with the map.”

“My phone was acting up, and reading paper maps is hard!”

“Oh no, we aren’t having this discussion again.” Everyone turned their head to the new voice that entered the fray.

A heavyset man wearing a Santa Claus shirt and pants walked into the room. He was carrying a tray filled with little red and green cake-balls decorated with sprinkles. The minute his friend set down his tray, Lance leapt at him.

“Hunk! They’re being mean to me, and I’ve only been here for a minute!” He whined, clinging onto Hunk’s arm. Hunk patted his arm reassuringly.

“Sorry man, but as I’ve said long ago, if it has to do with the summer of sophomore year, I’m staying out of it.”

Lance whined, and Hunk popped a cake-ball into his mouth. There was a click of heels, and a tall woman with a steaming mug walked in. A man with a large ginger mustache followed her, as well as Shay.

Shay took her usual spot next to Hunk, and the woman in the heels sat beside Pidge, throwing a casual arm over the petite woman’s shoulders. The two women were wearing matching “I’ve Been Naughty/Nice” sweaters. The woman flicked her long white hair over the back of the couch so she wouldn’t be leaning on it, and took a sip from her mug.

The man with the mustache patted Lance’s shoulder as he passed him to sit by Shiro.

“Keith, Lance! Good to see you again, lads!” He said to them as he sat down. Lance flicked his hand in a wave.

“Hey Coran! Hey Allura!” He turned to the woman and nodded. “I guess you managed to get back from your business trip before the holiday, huh?”

Allura groaned and let her head hit the back of the couch.

“Don’t even remind me of that horrid trip! I’ve never been in a plane for that long in my life, and with a baby crying and everything!”

Coran’s mustache twitched with amusement.

“I agree with you on that one. A word to the wise,” he turned to the others and leaned back in his seat, “if you are to go to London, make sure you bring a pillow and a good source of entertainment for the plane ride. I thought I would go bananas in that little tin can; with nothing but a book or two and a set of crosswords.”

Keith raised an eyebrow.

“I’m getting the feeling that the plane ride was not the only thing that went wrong.”

Allura massaged her temples, taking care to avoid scratching herself with her perfectly manicured fingernails.

“You have no idea...”

Shiro grinned and leaned his elbows on his knees.

“Pidge told me a bit of what you said to her, but I want to hear the whole story.”

Allura took a long sip of her cider before clearing her throat. She set her mug down, and launched into her tale.

All eight friends sat on the couches in front of the fire, laughing and gasping as Allura dramatically retold the tragedy that was her business trip to London, England. By the time she reached the part where they accidentally left Coran at a gas station, Lance was clutching his sides with laughter. Everyone in the room were in a similar position, and once Allura was done speaking, another person was prompted to speak.

This was Lance’s favorite part of the evenings with his friends: swapping stories and laughing at the good times they’ve all had. Now that everyone’s started their own lives, it was hard to keep up with the recent news, so Lance cherished these moments of simply talking about life, and getting to know what everyone had been up to.

Lance smiled contently as Hunk retold some events that happened in his bakery. The couch Lance was sitting on was plush and soft, and Keith’s side was comforting and firm, making Lance’s current position very _very_ comfortable. The cushion dipped as Keith readjusted his position so he was pressing against Lance’s side.

The conversation turned to Shiro, and his endeavors with trying to piece together his upcoming wedding.

“We don’t really know where we want to hold it. Matt wants to hold it in the city where we live now, but I kind of want it to be held somewhere closer to both of our families. But we both agree that we want it to happen in August. It’s not really a traditional ‘spring wedding’, but we thought it would be nice; to commemorate when we first started to date.”

Keith suddenly spoke up, slightly startling Lance.

“I’ve already called dibs on Best Man, so no one can have it!”

 Lance prodded his elbow in Keith’s side and smirked.

“Um, I actually wanted to be Best Man. You can be flower-boy!”

Keith suddenly grabbed a pillow and smothered it into Lance’s face. Lance squawked and the others laughed as Keith cried out.

“There can be only one!”

Shiro shook his head at their antics, smiling.

“Don’t worry Keith. I was already planning on you being Best Man, so you don’t have to resort to murder.”

Keith let Lance push him off, grinning as Lance hit him with the pillow.

“Rats, and here I was hoping I would finally have the chance to get rid of Lance.” Keith said, and Lance hit him again. In retaliation, Keith poked Lance in the side, making him yelp and curl in on himself. They both laughed, and Lance unfurled to lean on Keith’s shoulder.

Pidge watched the exchange, and a smirk appeared on her face. The lights glinted off her glasses as she spoke.

“Speaking of weddings- Keith, Lance, how’s things been going with you? You seem very… _cuddly_ tonight.” She eyed how the two were curled into each other’s side. Allura’s grin matched her girlfriend’s, and she joined in.

“Yeah, something seems different with you two tonight. Has anything good happened, hmm~?”

Lance suddenly felt all the eyes in the room on him and Keith. This question didn’t catch him off guard; he’s been waiting for something like it all evening. For the last several years, the question of what exactly was their relationship came up constantly, in some shape or form.

Back then, at this question Lance would sputter, and pray that he wouldn’t spontaneously combust. He didn’t know it at the time, but he had a raging crush on Keith. So the idea of getting together with him was embarrassing, not to mention impossible. All those questions would be deflected by either him or Keith, leaving his friends looking strangely disappointed.

Now however, things were different. Lance grew hot, and he felt both excited and embarrassed.

“Uh..well..yeah, I guess you could say that.” He laughed and scratched the back of his neck- a nervous tick that he’s picked up over the years. His hand fell to his lap, and his fingers intertwined with Keith’s.

“I guess we have an announcement?” He spoke the statement like a question, looking at Keith for confirmation. Keith gripped his hand and encouragingly smiled. Their friends gasped, staring at them with excitement in their eyes. They all began speaking at once.

“No way, are you two getting married?” Hunk asked with his hands clasped delightedly in front of him.

“Are you moving into a new house?” Shiro’s eyes had a knowing look in them as he smirked at Keith.

“Have you already eloped, and now are adopting ten kids?” Pidge was looking like her birthday came early.

Lance was flabbergasted, and looked again at Keith. He wasn’t faring much better.

“N-No! None of those!” Keith managed to yell over the din. They all went silent, looking at them with questioning glances. Lance and Keith met each other’s eyes, and then announced at the same time.

“We’re dating.”

There was silence, and then another explosion.

“Fuckin FINALLY!”

“Congratulations! We’ve been wondering when you would get together.”

“I proud of you Keith. And of you Lance. It must’ve taken a lot of courage to talk to each other about your feelings.”

“Dudes, that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you!”

“When’s the wedding?”

Lance and Keith were overwhelmed once again by all the talking. Lance didn’t know what to say, so he laughed awkwardly. He felt Hunk hug his shoulders, and he patted his hand.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s all so shocking!” Lance said sarcastically once they quieted down. He then gave Pidge a look. “And what did you mean by ‘finally’?”

She had the decency to not look at him like he was a moron. 

“We’ve been trying to get you two together for years now! You always dodged the question, or made some excuse. It was so irritating!”

Shiro began chuckling.

“It’s _was_ pretty entertaining to watch you two stumble around each other though. I’m glad you worked everything out.”

“You two are my friends, and I’m so glad you guys ended up together. You wouldn’t have found a better match with anyone else.” Hunk added in, and Lance felt touched by his friend’s support. Keith spoke before Lance could.

“Thanks you guys.” He was beet red, but was smiling wide.

“You realize that we’ll tease you mercilessly for the next few weeks, right?” Pidge asked, and Keith sighed.

“Yeah, I know.”

Hunk suddenly scootched his chair closer to them.

“I wanna know how it all happened! How’d you two realize your feelings for each other?”

Lance shrugged and laughed.

“It’s kinda long story, but I guess we have all evening.”

He and Keith began telling them a rehashed version of the last few days. They left some things out, but they gave the gist of it. They talked for about an hour. Lance would talk about one event, and then Keith would take over. They took turns narrating until they finally came to an end. Their friends had been sitting in silence, only breaking the narrative with an occasional question or comment.

By the time they were done, Lance’s throat felt dry. His mug was empty, so Keith let him have a sip from his. Lance swallowed, and Hunk asked one last question.

“So what are you going to do now?”

Keith shrugged, and accepted the mug back from Lance.

“We’ll probably stay in our apartment for a few more years, until we get more stable jobs with a better pay. There’s no need to change anything, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.”

Lance couldn’t have said it better himself. His smile turned sappy as he gazed at Keith, and he gently rubbed his thumb over Keith’s hands. Pidge gagged at them.

“We didn’t think this through. Now they’ll be like this all the time, and I don’t think I can handle that.”

Allura took her hand and rested her head on Pidge’s.

“I dunno, Katie. It’s pretty cute.” She bent down and kissed her girlfriend’s head. “Not as cute as us though.”

Lance pretended to glare at them.

“Oh? You wanna bet? Me and Keith are way cuter!” He snuggled into Keith and flung his legs over his lap. Pidge looked at them, and then without missing a beat, she leapt into Allura’s arms. Allura held her like she weighed nothing, and Pidge wrapped her arms around her neck.

“Challenge accepted, bitch!”

Lance humphed, and turned to Keith.

“We can’t let them show us up! Hold me in your arms too!”

“No way, you’re too heavy.”

“You meanie! I want a divorce!”

“We’re not even married.”

“Not yet you’re not!” Shay chirped, and Lance laughed again.

The evening passed pleasantly after all the commotion. After chatting, Shay called them into the dining room for dinner, and everyone enthusiastically obeyed. Everything looked amazing, as always when Hunk was cooking. Honey-baked ham sat steaming in the middle of the table, and around it was mashed and sweet potatoes, a wide variety of vegetables, glistening loafs of bread, and a few miscellaneous dishes that Lance didn’t know the names of, but were delicious anyway.

Lance ate until he felt like he would never be able to eat again. Yet somehow, he still had room for desert. Pecan and apple pie covered in vanilla ice cream were devoured, and the pie trays were just pieces of tin with crumbs on it once everyone was finished.

Lance sipped at his coffee and made his way back to the living room along with everyone else. Now it was time for presents.

They passed out everyone’s gifts, and then went around in a circle opening them. Lance was glad that his friends liked the gifts that he got for them. Hunk and Shay thanked him for the kitchen supplies, Allura loved her new necklace, Coran used the comb his got to straighten his mustache, Shiro laughed as he got a mug with “#1 Dad’ on the front, and Pidge immediately put on her new watch.

Lance and Keith’s gifts were a mixture of useful and entertaining things. Both of them opened their gifts from Mrs. Jenkins at the same time. They were knitted gloves, and Lance immediately slipped one on. It was a perfect fit. He had to remember to give the old woman his thanks once again. He and Keith then turned to the gifts from their friends.

Keith got new headphones, two t-shirts, a bobbly hippo to put on the dash of a car, a fake knife whose blade sinks into the handle to scare the shit out of people when you stab something with it, and souvenirs from London. 

Lance received new headphones and souvenirs from London as well, along with t-shirts, a face-mask with glitter in it, and a joke book filled with terrible puns. The most interesting present he got though was from Pidge.

It was his turn to open his last present. Pidge had demanded that he save her present for last, and so he did. The rest of his gifts sat in front of him, and wrapping paper covered the floor. All eyes were on him as he unwrapped the thin rectangular box. Keith leaned over his side, watching as Lance pulled the lid off the box.

“Yoga pants?” He asked, lifting up the edge of the light grey pants. A feeling of dread crawled up his spine as Pidge’s grin grew devious.

“Look on the back.” She snickered, and Lance hesitantly complied.

On the butt of the pants read in bright pink letters, ‘Property of Keith Kogane’.

Snickers and laughter filled the room, and Lance slowly put the lid back on the box. He and Keith couldn’t look at each other without blushing for the next few minutes.

Finally, the presents were over with, and the clocked chimed, announcing that it was time for everyone to leave. For Lance, it was bittersweet. He was tired and eager to go home, but it also meant that he would have to wait a while before seeing his friends again.

He hugged Pidge and Allura. They would be traveling soon, so he didn’t know when he would be seeing them next. Coran was the same, and Lance hugged him tightly. He said his goodbyes to them before turning to Shiro. He held out his hand, but was pulled into a hug instead. Shiro patted his back.

“Take good care of my brother. I know you will, I just feel like it’s my job to say something.” He whispered, and Lance nodded.

Lance knew that he was responsible for Keith’s heart now, and that if it broke, it was his fault. But he had also given Keith his own heart, so their relationship was one of mutual love and support. Lance was determined to give Keith all the love he had, and he made sure to tell Shiro this. Shiro patted Lance on the back one more time, before releasing him and turning to the next person.

Lance finally faced Hunk and Shay. It would be easier to say goodbye to them, since he could easily visit them, but Lance still didn’t enjoy leaving them. He thanked the young couple for everything, and promised that he would visit them soon.

Then, the moment was over, and it was time to gather up his things and leave.

Final goodbyes were made, and Lance stepped outside. A wall of cold hit him, and he shivered violently. The temperature had dropped dramatically, and Lance was sure that it was in the single digits, even without wind chill. He quickly turned his car on, watching as it purred to life and heated up. He and Keith put their stuff in the car, and stepped back onto the front porch to say goodbye one last time to everyone.

Allura and Coran were already stepping through the snow to their car, and soon they were headlights in the distance, disappearing completely down the road. Shiro hugged them one last time and exited with Pidge; he would be taking her home before heading back to his hotel for the night. Lance and Keith waved to them as they drove off, and finally, it was their turn to leave.

They stepped into their car, which was now blissfully warm, and shut the doors. Hunk and Shay waved to them as they pulled out of the driveway. Their Christmas lights were still twinkling, and looking as merry as ever. As Lance drove onto the main road, he watched as Hunk and Shay disappeared into their house, the wreath on the door shaking slightly as the door closed behind them.

The ride back was in companionable silence. Lance spent all his remaining energy on focusing on the road, and making sure he drove as carefully as possible with all the snow blowing around them. An occasional car would pass by them, with their headlights reflecting off the snow before vanishing into the swirl of white. Next to him, Keith was blinking sleepily and resting low in his seat. He wasn’t asleep, but it was clear that he was beginning to doze off.

Finally the lights of their apartment building glowed above them. The wind had picked up again, so they hurried out of the car and into the building. The lights in the hallways were dim, like they always were after eleven, making the entire building seem subdued and quiet. Keith opened their apartment’s door and they walked in. Lance flicked on the kitchen light and looked around.

Red and Blue were on the couch, too busy cuddling to get up and greet their humans. Lance shoved off his shoes and put his jacket in the closet. Blue lifted her head and blinked at him when he walked over to stroke her back. He heard the closet door shut with a click, and Keith disappeared into his room. A minute later, Lance heard the shower running.

Lance yawned again, and decided to plug in the Christmas tree lights. Might as well enjoy them before they took the tree down. The lights immediately lit up the darkness of the living room. Lance walked over and turned off the kitchen lights, leaving the Christmas tree to be the only thing shining in the room. He sat down on the couch and gazed at the tree.

The string lights made the tinsel glitter, and reflected off the ornaments. The star on top glowed a soft yellow. The curtains on the window next to the tree were drawn back, showing the snow that was steadily coming down outside.

It was a beautiful sight, and Lance felt a peace settle over him. He reached over and absentmindedly stroked the cats, who purred in response.

His mind began to wander, and old memories rose up. He had a few distinct memories of the Christmases he spent in his childhood beachfront home. Instead of waking up to snow on Christmas morning, they would wake up to the sound of the waves crashing against the sand, with gulls screeching in the distance. He would be rudely woken up by his numerous siblings and cousins that were visiting for the holidays. There would be a mad dash to the living room, where they would wait for some of the children to go wake up the adults.

Then, they would open presents, and there would be much laughter and playing amongst the family. The day would be a time to be near all his loved ones, and enjoy his time together with them. They were some of his fondest memories, and Lance felt the old familiar tug of homesickness.

The background noise of the shower suddenly cut off, and Lance was shaken from his thoughts. He gave the cats a final pat and quickly made his way to his room. Keith could tell when he was starting to miss his Cuban home, and Lance didn’t want to bother him with that mess tonight. He grabbed flannel pajama pants and a large long sleeve shirt to sleep in, and exited into the hallway. Keith’s door was closed, so Lance quickly entered the bathroom and locked the door.

The shower was hot, and it relaxed Lance’s muscles. The floral scent of his shampoo wafted under his nose as he scrubbed his hair. He then rubbed body wash onto his legs, and decided to go ahead and shave them again. He normally only did it whenever he had to dance in the studio, but the little pinpricks of hair were starting to annoy him.

After several minutes, he stepped out of the shower, feeling clean and refreshed. Once again, he completed his nightly skincare routine and brushed his teeth. He rinsed his mouth out, and set his toothbrush in the holder next to Keith’s.

The cold air of the hallway hit him as he walked out. He adjusted the collar of the shirt so it wasn’t slipping down his shoulder, and then he walked to the laundry room to throw his towel in the washer. Soft Christmas music suddenly caught his ear. He perked up and listened; Keith must’ve turned it on in the living room.

Lance closed the washer and stepped out to investigate. Keith was standing in the middle of the living room, the lights still off with only the Christmas tree lit up. He was gently rocking Red in time with the slow music. It looked like he didn’t mind getting cat hair all over his pajama top. Lance stepped closer, and Keith looked up.

The lights behind him shone through his wild hair, and gave him a backlight that made the edges of his body glow. Red jumped from his arms and trotted to Lance’s room, searching for Blue. Lance looked at the clock on the wall, and then to his room.

“It’s late, we should go to bed.” He whispered, not wanting to destroy the quiet of the atmosphere. Keith shook his head and walked up to Lance. He grabbed his hands, and pulled him to the middle of the living room. Lance looked at him with surprise.

“Wha-?” The sound escaped him without meaning to. Keith smiled, and wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist.

“You remember that stupid Christmas rom-com we watched earlier today?” He asked in a whisper. Lance was thrown off guard with the question, and tried to wrack his brain to remember the one he was talking about.

“I-uh-which one?” He stuttered out; Keith was tracing his fingers in a circle in the small of his back, making it hard to think.  

“That cliché one where they danced to Christmas music in the middle of the night.” Keith drew himself closer, and Lance’s expression cleared with understanding.

“O-Oh. Yeah, that one.” Then the pieces of the situation clicked together. Lance raised his eyebrows, and then laughed. “Is that what we’re doing?” He grinned, and placed his hands on Keith’s shoulders.

Keith made an affirmative hum, and took a small step to his left. Lance followed, and then they took a step to their right. They moved back and forth slowly, in time with the instrumentals drifting through the speakers. Keith grabbed Lance’s hand and spun him, making Lance laugh. They twirled around, and then they slowed again, opting to just sway with the music.

Lance’s hands were wrapped around Keith’s neck securely, and he liked the feeling of having Keith’s arms around his waist. His heart seemed to beat in time with the flowing music, and he gazed at the man in front of him. The Christmas tree lights threw handsome shadows onto Keith’s face, and at this distance, he could see the flecks of silver in those violet eyes.

Lance breathed softly through his nose, and rested his forehead against Keith’s. He closed his eyes, and left himself melt into the feel of Keith against him. His ears were filled with Keith’s soft breaths and the music flowing around them.

His homesickness was replaced with a warm feeling of contentment. All the moments he shared with Keith came to his mind, from the moment he first met him, to last night when they held each other on the couch. It was then he realized that, while he had left a home in Cuba, he had gained one in Keith.

Everything didn’t feel real, but at the same time it did. All those months of worry and pining were still fresh in Lance’s mind, but their bite was lost. After expecting nothing but rejection, only to have his love returned, it caused so many emotions to well up inside him, and he didn’t know what to feel. However, there was one emotion that was the most powerful, and Lance decided to let himself sink into that feeling of overpowering love.

Keith suddenly shifted his arms so they were higher on Lance’s back. He stopped moving, and tightened his grip. Lance didn’t open his eyes, but he stopped swaying and hugged Keith’s shoulders.

“Lance.” Keith whispered, his breath tickling Lance’s mouth.

“Hm?”

Lance felt soft lips press against his. The sensation was still unfamiliar, but welcome. He could nearly taste the mint of Keith’s toothpaste, and warm breath tickled his cheek as Keith exhaled through his nose. Their noses were bumping into each other, so Lance tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he did so.

After an eternity, Keith’s lips broke away, and hovered over Lance’s mouth. Keith then whispered so softly that it almost sounded like a breath.

“Merry Christmas.”

Lance chuckled, and nuzzled his nose against Keith’s. He pressed another kiss on his lips, and whispered back.

“Merry Christmas.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it folks! The End! Thank you all so much for supporting me in this story and inspiring me to keep writing! You all are amazing, and I couldn't ask for better readers! I will continue writing, and I'll probably be updating my other Voltron story soon. So keep an eye out if you want to suffer through more of my writing! Thank you all once again, and I hope you have an amazing 2018! Remember to review, or not, it's your choice! This is ArtistFox signing off, see you next story!


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